August Derleth's
Collected Poems, originally published in 1968, has become one of his most
sought after books. It reflects this prolific author's observations of man and
his environment in a gentle voice that reminds one of Robert Frost and Edgar Lee
Masters and of the homage he pays to Thoreau.
The nearly 300 poems in this collection were culled from a score of his books
and are those that the author felt most deeply about preserving. They reveal a
poet of penetrating insight and sensitivity. Derleth was a greatly gifted writer
whose many talents and creativity have never been adequately appreciated in his
native country.
Collected Poems is part of Derleth's famed Sac Prairie Saga that includes such
outstanding journals as Walden West, Return to Walden West, Wisconsin Country;
novels like Evening in Spring, Shield of the Valiant, Still is the Summer Night;
short story collections like Sac Prairie People, Country Growth, Wisconsin in
their Bones; and many books for young readers.
In a writing career that began at age 15, in 1924, until his untimely death in
1971, Derleth never left his roots in Sauk City, Wisconsin. He wrote and edited
more than 150 books and operated a publishing company devoted to fantasy
fiction. He was also for many years the literary editor and a columnist for the
Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin. Derleth was one of the most versatile and
important writers about middle America of his time.
Milwaukee Journal: "Many of the poems are impressive in a kind of quiet,
persistent, even-tempered manner. Derleth at his best and that best is very good
indeed."
Cover photo by Edgar Obma
Hard Cover
with Dustjacket, 254 pp.
ISBN 1-896032-70-2 @ $28.00