Journal A Book of Poetry

At various times I have tried to obtain a book of poetry with not too much success, at least not the kind of poetry I'm interested in; a compendium of the famous poets through the ages.

One day in the late 1990s I was in a second-hand book shop in Hamilton here in NZ and whilst browsing, my eye came to rest on a dog-eared, with broken spine, maroon book entitled" The School Book of English Verse" by Guy Boas. I idly flicked through and it had inside its covers all I wanted, over 550 pages. First published in 1938 and this was a 1956 reprint.

The inside cover said it was once the property of Hamilton Boys High School and it had a large purple stamp "Do not Deface this Book" stamped inside.

I bought this battered book for the asking price of $5.50 and considered it a bargain. And 4 or is it 5 years later, I still prize my "bargain".