- G.K. Chesterton–start with the “Ballad of the White Horse” and “Lepanto” but don’t miss his short, humorous verse and his Christmas poems.
- Hilaire Belloc–almost all of his poetry is worth reading, but especially his traveling verses.
- Sir Walter Scott–nothing beats his great epics like “The Lady of the Lake.”
- Arthur Quiller-Couch–again, almost everything from Q is worth careful reading, but especially his local sea town tales and his verse parodies.
- Alfred Noyes–you’ll especially want to read his epics like “The Highwayman.”
- Q’s edition of the “Oxford Book of English Verse” must not be missed (but make sure it’s Q’s and not one of the wretched modern updates).
- And of course, Francis Palgrave’s “Golden Treasury” is a classic collection.
- Louis Untermeyer’s wonderful anthology, “This Singing World,” was my favorite for years and years.
- “The Collected Poetry” of T.S. Eliot is not to be missed.
- All of J.R.R. Tolkien’s poetry is not available in a single volume, but whenever you can find collected anthologies, grab them–works like “Tom Bombadil” and “The Lays of Beleriand” are stunningly beautiful.
- The various collections of verse from C.S. Lewis are also delightful–but, be sure to get an edition with some of his longer, more complex Medieval reflections.