The Best of Robert Service: Amazon.ca: Robert Service: Books

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This new and revised edition of poems about the men and women of the North features the most loved ballads by Robert Service, and is illustrated with lively art by Marilen Van Nimwegen. While living in Whitehorse, Robert Service wrote The Cremation of Sam McGee, and other well-known poems. He wrote and published into his mid-eighties. He was quoted as saying, I just go for a walk and come back with a poem in my pocket.

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant volume and a must-have for poetry fans!, July 6 2001

By

Michael R. Schneider (Garden Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews

I seriously doubt that anybody out there who has passed at least the eighth grade has not heard, at least once in his or her life, "The Cremation of Sam McGee." That poem enough warrants the purchase of a Robert W. Service book, as any home library should not be without that classic poem of North American culture.

This book, however, has a lot more to offer than solely the "most memorized poem" of the English language.

Though it does not state it in the information about this volume, this book contains the complete poems of "The Spell of the Yukon" and "Ballads of a Cheechako." Either of these volumes (in hardback) alone will cost about thirteen dollars (at least at your local bookstore), but this hardbound edition offers much more.

The Kinsey photographs which help fill these pages give us all a more brilliant picture of life in the Yukon gold rush era, and help paint a canvas along with the verses of Robert Service in a cooperative rarely seen in the medium of poetry. Whereas most "gift" or "coffee table" editions of literature, the pictures rarely enhance and often detract from the visual imagery of the poetry. This volume is quite the opposite.

At the price, this is one of the best bargains you will find on Amazon.com. The artistry of the binding and design of the pages would warrant that this book retail at twice the price it does.

I recommend anybody with any interest purchase this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Service Rules, May 18 2001

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Glenn Vanstrum (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Robert Service is the master of the north, and in this anthology, he proves it. Whether it is in famous works or in lesser known poems, Service paints the harsh, beautiful landscape of the Arctic like no one else. He makes the Northern Lights come alive. His experiences as an ambulance driver in WWI also gave him insight into the terror of war, and the poems from this period, also included, are wonderful, if at times painful to read. Even if you don't care for poetry that much, you'll love this collection.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Poetry, July 10 2000

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Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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Robert Service was the common man's poet. Even if you don't normally read poetry, you will find some that are enjoyable. He is best known for his poems about the Yukon such as "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" ("A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malemute saloon..."), but the collection contains much more. It covers the poet's Yukon period, but also World War I and Bohemian Paris. Robert Service's poems ranged from dark humor such as "The Cremation of Sam McGee," to sad and sentimental poems such as "Muguet." Some of his poems addressed particular topics such as taxes ("Resentment"), dieting ("The Battle of the Bulge"), etc. His collected poems are recommended for any age group. I first became acquainted with his poetry when I was a child and someone read one to me.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Robert Service/Illustrated Edition
This is a beautifully done book. The combination of text and historic photographs makes this a treasure. Everyone who has seen our copy has wanted one of their own. Read more

Published on Feb 28 2000 by Tamara Doe

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss reading his poems about WWI
Often people read Robert Service and only read his stories about Alaska and the Yukon. For moving poetry about WWI and the loss of his brother, read all the way to the end, very... Read more

Published on July 20 1999