Poetry and Picture Books

Many poets have written of nature but few with the imagery feeling and landscape like the poet John Keats (1795-1821). A choice favourite would be ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ written in 1819, a beautiful poem that conjures up the universal feeling of summer…

My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains

My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,

Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains

One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:

'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, 5

But being too happy in thine happiness,

That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,

In some melodious plot

Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,

Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

ImpalaPrints love to stock Keats and other poetry book and have seen them in many editions, ages and sizes. Currently in our online shop is this edition of Keats poetical works in red hardback edition published in the 1930s with all his famous poems including Ode to a Nightingale.

Keats poems often feature nature and it was clearly a great influence upon aspects of his writing. He would walk the heath near his home near Hampstead and it is said to be where he wrote many of his famous works. He most likely would have carried books like this wonderful Guide to trees to identify the various species growing there. Indeed the illustrations and colour of this wonderful old book and the writings of Keats are enough to conjure up warm summer daydreams.

We encourage you to look through our store our items are handpicked with great love and we are sure to have something that inspires you.