--- product_id: 1609784 title: "A Poetry Handbook" price: "€ 24.65" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/1609784-a-poetry-handbook store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # A Poetry Handbook **Price:** € 24.65 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A Poetry Handbook - **How much does it cost?** € 24.65 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/1609784-a-poetry-handbook) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: A Poetry Handbook: 9780156724005: Oliver, Mary: Books Review: Beautiful like everything she wrote - She’s a favorite, her writing is so beautiful and I love how much she notices simple joys & small things. Review: Poetry Handbooks written by poets - Mary Oliver is a well-known, distinguished poet. Her book "A Poetry Handbook" was recommended to me by a professor from my current MFA Poetry program and it has been both a surprise, and a confirmation that poets themselves (not academics and critics) have the deepest insight into how to write a good poem. Oliver suggests that poetry is like a current ready to flow through you. It is not merely "an acquisition," a skill, or something outside yourself - but more a combination of punctuality in "showing up" to do the work, and an opening of the heart (or,as Oliver calls it: "that shy factory of the emotion.") Each chapter addresses component parts of poetry writing: line, sound, diction, imagery, voice and more. Oliver's choice of poets: Whitman, Bishop, James Wright, Frost, Pound, are all strong choices, their poems providing supportive examples of her discussion of craft. Most importantly, however, she provides the best piece of advise in her opening chapters: read, read, read poems. To be a good poet, you must read a range of poetry, spanning history and geography and style. And after that, Oliver provides the surprise (a heady permission I learned in my very early years of writing which has held fast through many moments of flagging confidence and motivation) "Imitate." We read, we imitate, and from this process we find our own voice and style. As Oliver tells us: "It demands finally, a thrust of our own imagination - a force, a new idea - to make sure that we don't merely copy, but inherit, and proceed from what we have learned." Though beautifully simple and straightforward, I would not categorize this book as being for any particular level of writer: beginner, or accomplished. The beginner will learn well and happily, and the more accomplished writer will find again and again, much needed resonance for the continuing passion of writing poetry. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 0156724006 | | Best Sellers Rank | #7,336 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Poetry Literary Criticism (Books) #5 in Literary Criticism & Theory #6 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,043) | | Dimensions | 5.31 x 0.38 x 8 inches | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 9780156724005 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0156724005 | | Item Weight | 10.4 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 130 pages | | Publication date | August 15, 1994 | | Publisher | Ecco | | Reading age | 14 years and up | ## Images ![A Poetry Handbook - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61pUpnE0CUL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful like everything she wrote *by B***H on February 25, 2026* She’s a favorite, her writing is so beautiful and I love how much she notices simple joys & small things. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poetry Handbooks written by poets *by J***T on January 11, 2009* Mary Oliver is a well-known, distinguished poet. Her book "A Poetry Handbook" was recommended to me by a professor from my current MFA Poetry program and it has been both a surprise, and a confirmation that poets themselves (not academics and critics) have the deepest insight into how to write a good poem. Oliver suggests that poetry is like a current ready to flow through you. It is not merely "an acquisition," a skill, or something outside yourself - but more a combination of punctuality in "showing up" to do the work, and an opening of the heart (or,as Oliver calls it: "that shy factory of the emotion.") Each chapter addresses component parts of poetry writing: line, sound, diction, imagery, voice and more. Oliver's choice of poets: Whitman, Bishop, James Wright, Frost, Pound, are all strong choices, their poems providing supportive examples of her discussion of craft. Most importantly, however, she provides the best piece of advise in her opening chapters: read, read, read poems. To be a good poet, you must read a range of poetry, spanning history and geography and style. And after that, Oliver provides the surprise (a heady permission I learned in my very early years of writing which has held fast through many moments of flagging confidence and motivation) "Imitate." We read, we imitate, and from this process we find our own voice and style. As Oliver tells us: "It demands finally, a thrust of our own imagination - a force, a new idea - to make sure that we don't merely copy, but inherit, and proceed from what we have learned." Though beautifully simple and straightforward, I would not categorize this book as being for any particular level of writer: beginner, or accomplished. The beginner will learn well and happily, and the more accomplished writer will find again and again, much needed resonance for the continuing passion of writing poetry. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This breakdown how to write poems *by I***L on March 8, 2026* I t made me understand better ## Frequently Bought Together - A Poetry Handbook - Devotions: A Read with Jenna Pick: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver - Rules For The Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/1609784-a-poetry-handbook](https://www.desertcart.be/products/1609784-a-poetry-handbook) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-05-04*