The Best of Ogden Nash

It's been more than thirty years since the appearance of a collection from America's laureate of light verse. Ogden Nash first gathered together an anthology of thirty years of his published works in 1959. In 1973 his daughters gathered more than four hundred of his poems and called it I Wouldn't Have Missed It, a quote from one of his verses. Now more poems have come to light, so his daughters have once again produced The Best of Ogden Nash, the definitive Nash anthology. The poems display the talent of the man whose verse entranced America from the time of the Great Depression until his death in 1971. The Best of Ogden Nash should delight old fans and introduce new readers to a unique talent.

“This bountiful new collection of The Best of Ogden Nash gathers not only the choicest and most beloved poems from his huge output but presents several previously unpublished pieces discovered among his papers and family correspondence. Classic or 'new,' Nash's humorous verses are a continual delight, as this volume will remind old admirers while regaling readers encountering him for the first time-and, given the current sad state of the world, not a moment too soon.”

[An] affectionate look at Nash's life....Richly detailed with excerpts from family correspondence. Tri-City Herald
As winter sets in and holidays are on the horizon, the warmth and cleverness of this anthology of 548 verses makes it a perfect gift - even for those who may be having a rift. -- Elizabeth Taylor Chicago Tribune
Even those of us inclined toward felines are captivated by Ogden Nash....Warmth and cleverness...makes it a perfect gift. -- Elizabeth Taylor Chicago Tribune
There was only one living poet in my mother's repertory-Ogden Nash. When she swatted some fly in the kitchen, she would intone with solemnity: 'God in his wisdom made the fly / And then forgot to tell us why.' Nash was an inveterate experimentalist...endlessly innovative in his versification and diction. His rhymes were not merely amusing but often revelatory....[His] legacy remains a vital part of twentieth-century American poetry. -- Dana Gioia
-- Joseph Parisi
Clearly Ogden Nash is God's gift to the United States….Genuine comic talent is nearly priceless. Mr. Nash is our best literary comedian since Will Rogers. He has become, in a strictly Shakespearian sense, America's number one fool, though in any other sense he is nobody's fool.
He has become a social necessity…. I have only one criterion for judging authors: how many are there without whom I could not possibly have lived until now? Ogden Nash is one of them. -- Christopher Morley Saturday Review Of Literature
The reader will find himself completely captivated by rhyming of such unexpected originality that his only comment is hearty laughter. Harpers Wine & Spirit
An outstanding, rare collection of works essential for any definitive poetry library. Midwest Book Review
Open this book to any page and find guaranteed laughter. -- Dr. Clif Cleaveland Chattanooga Times Free Press

Ogden Nash is the best-loved poet of light verse in the United States. His daughter, Linell Nash Smith, has compiled this new collection. Linell Nash Smith lives in Baltimore.

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