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[Counter-attack: and other poems]
Photographs of "Counter-Attack: And Other Poems" by Siegfried Sassoon, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is worn and brown, with the title printed in brown ink on a label, the wording framed by brown lines. Image 2, with page 20 titled "How To Die" on the left and page 21 on the right titled "The Effect." This copy of Siegfried Sassoon’s collection of poems, Counter-Attack and Other Poems, is a 1919 reprinting of the original 1918 edition, published by E.P. Dutton and Company in New York. The binding is made of brown paper over boards, parts of which have begun to chip away. As a decorated officer known for his heroic, often perilous, actions on the battlefield, Sassoon wrote poems that vividly depict his experience in the trenches. Counter-Attack and The Old Huntsman (Sassoon’s first published collection of war poetry, referenced on the title page) mark the transition from his earlier, highly romanticized poetry, and would go on to solidify him as one of the era’s most influential poets. A thorough description of this transition in Sassoon’s work is given in the introduction by fellow soldier-poet and friend, Robert Nichols. The poems in this collection give the reader an up-close account of the graphic horrors of World War I, and signal the departure from the glorification of war. As with volumes by other soldier poets, Sassoon’s Counter-Attack would usher in the cold, fragmented beginnings of modernist literature.
[4th Liberty Loan Honor Roll poster, World War I]
Photograph of 4th Liberty Loan "Honor Roll" poster from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The poster has an illustration of a red framed flag at the top with four blue stripes down the middle. The words "Help our town win this flag" are in dark blue at the top. Under the flag is the title "4th Liberty Loan" in red. The bottom half of the poster has four columns of numbered lines numbering 1-100.
[Victory Liberty Loan Honor Roll poster, World War I]
Photograph of a Victory Liberty Loan "Honor Roll" poster from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The top half of the poster is an illustration of a white, red-framed flag with a giant navy V in it. Above it are the words "Honor Roll" in navy. Under the flag are small navy words that say "The Following Patriotic Men and Women in this Organization Have Invested in the" followed by "Victory Liberty Loan" in red. The bottom half of the poster contains five columns filled with numbered lines, numbering 1-100.
[36th National Guard Private's wool jacket, , World War I]
Photographs of 36th National Guard Private's wool jacket from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. This jacket was worn by George N. Rucker who was stationed at Camp Travis in San Antonio, Texas, during World War I. The first image shows an arrowhead patch with the "T" in the center represents the 36th infantry division of the Texas Army National Guard, which was made up of Texans and Oklahomans. The silver chevron patch lower on the sleeve represents stateside service of at least six months. A second silver chevron patch would have been added for an additional six months served, so we can tell that Rucker only served between six and eleven months. The red chevron near the shoulder represents honorable discharge. Image 2, front of wool jacket with two pockets on the top and bottom of each side and five buttons along the middle.
[Artillery shell casings, World War I]
Photographs of artillery shell casings from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image shows the brown rusted bullets from the bottom, one is closed and the other one hollow. Image 2, bullet laying down. The bullet is long and thin.
[Gas mask time card, World War I]
Photograph of a gas mask time card from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. A small card is folded in two and propped open with a blank table on it. In front of it is a worn, brown square envelope with a couple of holes on the front of it. The card that accompanies the mask is meant to be used to keep track of the amount of time the mask is worn, so that the wearer will know when to replace the charcoal for optimal air purification. These items were issued to Alvin Mansfield Owsley, who served during World War I in the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard.
[German sword and scabbard, World War I]
Photographs of a German sword and scabbard from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is of the word in its scabbard, which is a dark rusted metal. The handle has lined indents with a handle on it. Image 2, closeup of swords handle.
[Red Cross knitting needles and packaging, World War I]
Photographs of Red Cross knitting needles and packaging from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is of a small brown envelope propped up longways, with 3 needles laying in front of it. The front of the package has an illustration of a soldier in uniform with other soldiers behind him. On the black part of the illustration are the words "Back Them Up" and "Puritan Flour," under it a description. Image 2, front of needle packaging containing the soldier illustration with the packaging information. Image 3, back of brown packaging with a poem about knitting. Image 4, Inside of needle packaging filled with text, with two sections: Don'ts for the Knitters of Socks, New Red Cross Directions for Sock. Two needles lay in front of it. Image 5, inside of needle packaging extended out, the two section are filled with text. The first section of "Don'ts" has seven points. Image 6, outside of needle packaging extending out two three panels, where the poem and front are seen. The bottom panel has two sections of text: Mitt and Wristlet.
[Third Liberty Loan pin, World War I]
Photographs of a Third Liberty Loan pin from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The circular pin is blue framed by red. The blue part contains an illustration of a bell with the words Third Liberty Loan around it. Image 2, back of circular pin with the words "The Whitehead & Hoag Co." on it.
[U.S. Army ammunition belt, , World War I]
Photographs of a U.S. Army ammunition belt from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The light brown belt has five areas of pockets with a small button on each of them. The middle has a small metal handle, the strap seen on the left side. Image 2, utility belt extended out. On the left side the five pockets are seen and on the right the inside of the belt.
[U.S. Army Brodie helmet, World War I]
Photographs of U.S. Army Brodie helmet from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The helmet is a brown rusted color with a circular shape an a visor all around. Image 2, side view of the brown rusted helmet. Image 3, inside view of the helmet, showing that the inside is lined in black material with a faded brown strap across the inside.
[U.S. Army garrison cap, World War I]
Photographs of U.S. Army garrison cap from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The brown wedge cap is folded up with a crease in the middle and a black button that says "US 67" on the side of it. Image 2, inside of garrison cap showing its folded inside.
[U.S. Army mess kit, , World War I]
Photographs of a U.S. Army mess kit from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. All of the utensils are made of a shiny metal, including a pan with a lid, a fork, a spoon and a knife. Image 2, closeup of just the spoon, fork and knife. Image 3, pan with closed lid.
[U.S. Army officer's visor hat, World War I]
Photographs of a U.S. Army officer's visor hat from World war I, held by UNT Special Collections. The faded brown hat is circular with a leather brown visor and brown strap on the front. Image 2, front of brown visor hat with the brown leather strap resting on the visor.
[U.S. Army wool jacket, World War I]
Photographs of a U.S. Army wool jacket from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is a closeup of the collar of the brown jacket, two buttons on each side of the collar, one of the with the words "U.S. 36." Image 2, front of the light brown jacket, a breast pocket on each side and four buttons going down the middle. There are also two pockets on each side of the bottom. Image 3, back of light brown jacket, two buttons and straps on each shoulder.
[U.S. officer's campaign hat, World War I]
Photograph of a U.S. officer's campaign hat from World War I, held by UNT Special Collections. The brown felt hat with four dents, a black string tied around it.
[Victory Liberty Loan medallion, World War I]
Photographs of a Victory Liberty Loan medallion, held by UNT Special Collections. The back of the coin reads: "Made from captured German cannon. Awarded by the U.S. Treasury Department for patriotic service in [sic] behalf of the Liberty Loans." Image 2, front of this medallion that shows the U.S. Treasury building and a bald eagle below it.
[1914 & Other Poems]
Photographs of "1914 & Other Poems" by Rupert Brooke, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image, is of the inside of the book with a faint illustration of a man's profile, the second image the see-through brown piece of paper is turned over to cover the illustration but to reveal the title of the book. Although Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) died before ever seeing battle, he was renowned for his war sonnets. W.B. Yeats noted that Brooke was “handsomest young man of England,” a fact that may account for some of his fame. Educated at Cambridge, he became a thespian, scholar, and soldier. Brooke, commissioned in the Royal Navy, never got to see battle. He died in 1915 at sea from sepsis. An eerie photograph portrait of the author’s profile, dated 1913, appears opposite the title page in this edition. Following the title page with publisher information and the typical copyright statement, we encounter a brief biographical note listing Brooke’s education and war time experience. His five war sonnets, titled “1914,” became notable for their romantic and patriotic view of the war. As a young man, Brooke wrote poems and published in anthologies and periodicals; his first volume of poetry, simply titled Poems, appeared in 1911 and (according to a note printed in this edition of 1914 and Other Poems) was reprinted in 1913 and twice in 1915. The contents of this volume are separated into sections beginning with the war sonnets titled “1914” followed by “The South Seas” and finally “Other Poems.” The last page of the book lists where the book was printed and contains a small slip that is taped to the back page, which was to be affixed to the spine of the book. An original slip is glued on the spine with the title of …
[Aurelia & Other Poems, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "Aurelia & Other Poems" by Robert Nichols, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is brown with a white label on the front with the title printed on it.
[The Making of Micky Mcghee]
Photographs of "The Making of Micky Mcghee" by R.W. Campbell, held by UNT Special Collections. The third image shows the book opened up to pages 64-5. On the left page are the words "Carry On" next to a drawing of a soldier kneeling with a long rifle, followed by a bit of text. On the right page are the words "Miners and Miners" next to a drawing of a man holding a shovel followed by a few paragraphs of text. Image 1, pale brown book cover with the title at the top in an illustration of a man standing in front of a sign, and buildings behind it, the author in the bottom right corner. Image 2, inscription written on the inside of the cover in pencil. Robert Walter Campbell, born 1876, served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the Boer War (1899 to 1902), and then again with the 5th battalion in Gallipoli (1914) in the Great War. This second tour gave him the material for his poems in support of the war effort. Campbell wrote 25 lively poems and songs in Standard English for The Making of Micky McGhee. Some 20th century Scottish slang is sprinkled throughout.
[Plain Song 1914-1916]
Photographs of "Plain Song" by Eden Phillpotts, held by UNT Special Collections. Image 2 shows the table of contents on the left page and a page with a poem titled "August the Fourth." Image 3, continuation of the poem "August the Fourth" and number 2 and 3. Image 1, cover of the book made of grey paper, framed by a thick line with the title at the top followed by the dates 1914-1916. Eden Phillpotts (1862-1960) was born in British India and is best known for his celebration of the landscape of Dartmoor in southern England. His collection of poems, Plain Song, moves from horror to acceptance, but always with a sense of detachment of the poet at home. The opening poem takes its title from the date Britain declared war on Germany, “August 4, 1914.” Thwarting the reader’s expectations, the poem begins with a peaceful woodland scene at dusk, where the speaker watches the moon rise over a clearing filled with emerald-like glow-worms and the purr of a swooping churn-owl, who “throbbed and throbbed, then took his flight...in rapture and delight” (p. 2). The poem ends by shattering this scene “by Nature sanctified” when the speaker suddenly recalls the “hell / This day hath seen ascend” (p. 3). The poem thus plays on the poet’s physical distance from the war to produce its emotional affect.
[Rookie Rhymes]
Photographs of "Rookie Rhymes," held by UNT Special Collections. The book is opened up to a page on the left titled "The Call" followed by a poem. On the right page is an illustration of a soldier and woman in a big dress dancing. Image 1, the brown paper book cover has no spine, and the title is at the top in big black letters followed by an illustration of a man in a hat smoking a pipe.
[Swords and Ploughshares]
Photographs of "Swords and Ploughshares" John Drinkwater, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image shows the title page, with the page to the left of it containing a small list of books by the same author. Image 2, poem on page 48 titled "On the Picture of a Private Soldier Who Had Gained a Victoria Cross", the page next to it contains a poem titled "One Speaks In Germany. In “On the Picture of a Private Soldier Who Had Gained a Victoria Cross,” the author calls upon the theme of photography to apply pressure to its revelatory and documentary status. Photographs are not only signs. They are also indexes—that is, they are created by the conditions they record. This adds authority to their status as objective or unmediated by interpretive bias, but such objectivity is an illusion. The alignment of the documentary photo with objectivity forgets the deceptive nature of physical surfaces, how they might exclude or even repress the deeper conflicts of inner life expressed in a poem. In Drinkwater’s poem, the deceptive nature of physical appearance dialogues with the deceptive nature of accolades for valor and the sense of liberation from horrors of the past. Drinkwater thus registers an insight fundamental to new waves of psychoanalytic theory—that is, the burial of trauma constitutes a form of preservation, of intensification even, as opposed to conquest and erasure.
[Taps: Famous Poems of the World War]
Photographs of "Taps" by Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and Grantland Rice, held by UNT Special Collections. The second image is of pages 110 an 111, the page on the left is a drawing of a figure laying on grass and the page on the right is a poem titled "No Man's Land." Image 3, pages 200 and 201 with the page on the left containing parts of a poem and the page on the right containing a drawing of two soldiers sitting down with skull faces. Image 1, cover of the book. It is dirty yellow in color with title in bold at the top with black lettering, the subtitle and names in smaller letters. Expanding vertically on the left side of the cover is a sketch of a soldier playing a trumpet. Image 4, side view of book's spine that contains the title and author, small white stars along it vertically.
[Soldier Songs from Anzac, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "Soldier Songs from Anzac" by Tom Skeyhill, held by UNT Special Collections. The cover is worn lavender in color, with a double border in black ink. The title is at the top, and the publishing information at the bottom also in black ink.
[American Soldier Ballads, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "American Soldier Ballads" by F.B. Camp, held by UNT Special Collections. The cover is dark yellow in color with the title at the top in red lettering.Under the title is an illustration of soldiers sitting or standing around a fire. This edition of Patriotic Toasts was published in 1917 by Forbes and Company in Chicago. Each page has a lithographic decorative blue border surrounding the printed text, and the dense cardboard cover contains a stoic depiction of Uncle Sam carrying an American flag, reinforcing the book’s self-proclaimed patriotism. The author, Fred Emerson Brooks, a popular 19th century poet, wrote several books of “toasts” – short poems likely meant to be read aloud in social gatherings. A notice in the back of this volume advertises Brooks’s other publications, including the comically titled Cream Toasts and Buttered Toasts, with a series of quotes from major newspapers attesting to Brooks’s sparkling wit. The collection of poems in this book captures the vigor of the American spirit at the time of its entry into World War I. Poems such as “Old Glory” and “Liberty’s Banner” are dense with the nationalist rhetoric that would eventually lose much of its appeal in the years to come. Other poems, like “To Our Own Good Germans,” exemplify the propagandizing attempts to vilify the people of Germany. When reading these poems, one can easily envision the host of a dinner party at the turn of the 20th century lifting his glass at the end of a spirited speech. This edition of Patriotic Toasts was published in 1917 by Forbes and Company in Chicago. Each page has a lithographic decorative blue border surrounding the printed text, and the dense cardboard cover contains a stoic depiction of Uncle Sam carrying an American flag, reinforcing the book’s …
[The Bells of Peace]
Photographs of "The Bells of Peace" by John Galsworthy, held by UNT Special Collections. The brown paper cover is framed by a red line, the title in simple black print. Image 2, page titled "The Bells of Peace" with two paragraphs, the first letter of each a red L. Image 3, pages 3 and 3. They are both titled "The Bells of Peace" at the top. Each page has 2 paragraphs, the first letter of each big and red. The bottom of page 3 has the date June 1920.
[Flower of Youth: Poems in War Time]
Photographs of "Flower of Youth: Poems in War Time" by Katharine Tynan, held by UNT Special Collections. Image 1, the spine of the dark blue book with the title on a white label on the spine. Image 2, with the page to the left of it containing a box with the title of books also by Tynan.
[More Songs of Angus and Others]
Photographs of "More Songs of Angus, and Others" by Violet Jacob, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image shows the tile page, the page on the left blank except for a small stamp. Image 2, book open to a poem over two pages, titled "Glory" on the left and numbered 28 and 29.
[Our Hospital ABC]
Photographs of "Our Hospital Anzac British Canadian" also known as "Our Hospital ABC" by Hampden Gordon and M.G. Tindall, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image the brown cover of the book with a blue spine. The title is at the top in red letters framed by white, an illustration of a nurse in a white dress outfit with two white tents by her. At the bottom are the acknowledgments for the creators. The second image is of two grey pages, the page on the right the title page with an illustration of a woman in white and black holding a frying pan. Image 3, pages 5 and 6 with the page on the left titled with a big red C and a description of what it stands for, the page on the right containing an illustration of an injured soldier with two children standing around him. Image 4, the spine of the book with the title spread throughout it. Image 5, back cover of the book with an illustration of a nurse in the white and black nurse dress, holding a bottle in her hand. Our Hospital ABC with pictures by Joyce Dennys and verses by Hampden Gordon & M. G. Tindall is a children’s picture book about an army hospital run by ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), Britain & Canada. Each page, end leaf, end page, and the outside book covers were printed as full-page lithographs using large blocks of color. The white block text is printed in the same style as the pictures in red, blue, brown and occasionally green throughout the book; the end pages are plain gray with white silhouettes of people. The text of the verses are simple and in all capitals, but the content suggests this is not a children’s …
[Poems of Peace and War]
Photographs of "Poems of Peace and War" by Caroline R. Bispham, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is a simple white paper booklet with the title at the top and author at the bottom in black print lettering. Over most of the middle page is a thick red cross. Image 2, "The Invader" and "Peace on Earth" poems on pages 12 and 13.
[Socks]
Photographs of "Socks" by Emily Caroline Oliphant, held by UNT Special Collections. Image 2, shows the title page, the words "Moriendo Vivo" in the middle of it. Image 3, open book with table of contents on the left page and the page on the right the beginning of a chapter titled "Socks" with the date September 1914 under it. Image 4, page of text titled "Socks" on the left and page on right titled "The Mine-Sweepers." Image 1, green book cover with the title and author in the middle in red lettering. In the top right corner are blue, white and red stripes. While not every poem in Emily Caroline Oliphant’s Socks directly concerns the role of women on the home front of World War I, the most noteworthy of the book’s 27 poems, “Socks,” details the almost laughable frustration of the limited contributions a woman could make in contrast to her husband’s sacrifices: “Tis little a woman can do when fighting is to the fore; / True, she can send her menkind now as in days of yore; /... But every minute to spare she knits for her soldier—socks.” The book’s title page bears the information that it was published in Blairgowrie, a burgh in Scotland, and printed in 1915 at the Advertiser Office, a local newspaper office. The following page denotes that it was sold for the Prince of Wales’ National Relief fund, which was developed in order to aid the wives and families of those serving in the war. Bound in forest-green cloth with three diagonal stripes across the top right corner in cherry red, gold, and navy blue, the 34-page book is an unusual format (about 10” x 7.5”) and was sold for one shilling. Choosing to bind the book in a color reminiscent of the …
[The Bombing of Bruges, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "The Bombing of Bruges" by Paul Bewsher, held by UNT Special Collections. The pale blue cover has the title at the top and author at the bottom, all imprinted in dark blue lettering.
[Echoes of France]
Photographs of "Echoes of France" by Amy Robbins Ware, held by UNT Special Collections. The cover is dark blue with a rubricated title and illustration enclosed in a black-stamped frame. Image 2, inscription on inside of cover written in pencil. On the left page is a stamped design. This image in Echoes from France by Amy Robbins Ware, an American nurse in France during WWI, demonstrates the kind of tensions generated by the coexistence of photographs and text. Image 3, pages 40 and 41. The page on the left has a black and white photo of a woman in a dress and gas mask, the page on the right a poem titled "J'attends, C'est la Guerre." Although the book contains no photographs of abject gore, it does feature this photo of a woman with a gas mask as a haunting reminder of such horror and an effacement of the familiar, such that the woman now wears the large dark eyes and proboscis reminiscent of insect life. The text at the bottom works against the tone of estrangement by way of the domesticating rhetoric of “little tin derby” in the place of “helmet.” The diminutive qualifier is not supported by the photo and so suggests a note of endearment and thereby emotional mastery. Similarly the poem to the left of the photograph turns its focus from the destructive power of the “Gothas,” the heavy bombers of the German Luftstreitkräfte, to “Life’s great adventure” and nostalgic invocations, however fleeting their comforts. Whereas the reassurance of a human face, no less real than the uniform before us, lies beneath the mask in the photograph, the terror of war lies beneath the rhetorical surface of the poem, whose imagistic force is for the most part diffused by familiarity of diction and detail. Both the …
[Fifes and Drums: Poems of America at War, The Vigilantes]
Photographs of "Fifes and Drums: Poems of America at War," held by UNT Special Collections. The brown book cover has the title in dark blue in the top right corner in a white label, framed by a dark blue line. Image 2, title page. On the left page is a list of The Vigilante books inside a box, and on the right page is the title page with a small upside down triangle with the letter D in it.
[The Flying Parliament]
Photographs of "The Flying Parliament" by Edwina S. Babcock, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is open to a dedication page, which is a note written in pen handwriting. The name Donald Thomas 1973 is at the top. On the top left side is the word "Poetry" written in pencil. The cover is red with an intricate gold design over most of the page, the title is in the middle of the cover in gold.
[History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion]
Photographs of "History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion" by Lee C. McCollum, held by UNT Special Collections. The second image is open to two poems, the one on the left tiled "Our Commander" and the one on the right "Up There." On each side and bottom of the page is an illustration of field workers, the bottom part being the ground. Each page also has a dedication. Image 3, poem titled "My Pals" expanding over two pages. On the outer part of each page is part of an illustration of things like soldiers lying on the ground and someone in a gas mask. Image 1, dark blue cover of the book with the title and author in gold lettering. In the top left corner is a red, white and blue stripe.
[Main Street and Other Poems]
Photographs of the book "Main Street and Other Poems" by Joyce Kilmer, held by UNT Special Collections. The title page is opened up, with the title and author in a rectangular frame. Under it is a graphic of a house and tree, and below it the publishing company. Image 2, the cover of Main Street. The pale brown book has a white label on the front with the title in it.
[Men, Women and Ghosts]
Photographs of "Men, Women and Ghosts" by Amy Lowell, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is blue with a green spine, the title on a white label at the top framed by lines. Image 2, title page with the page on the left containing publishing information. Amy Lowell's Men, Women, and Ghosts, per her own preface, is meant to be an authentic window into the experience of WWI. It is a collection of 30 poems that had been published five times before this 1919 impression. The reprinting was made possible by electrotype. It was published in New York, but an earlier printing where the electrotype was produced occurred in Norwood, Massachusetts. In the preface Lowell discusses which poems she chose to include in the collection. She excludes “purely lyrical poems” (ix) because she is more concerned with experimenting with vers libre, or free verse that does not subscribe to standardized rhyming and metrical schemes. Lowell classifies many of her poems as “polyphonic prose” and was a forerunner of experimentation with the prose poem in English. Many of her poems in the collection have elements of prose, including “Pickthorn Manor” a story about a woman whose sweetheart is on the front lines. Lowell also constructs poems as one would a musical number, as in “Stravinsky’s Three Pieces ‘Grotesques’, For String”. There are many poems about impression and perception, including “Spring Day” and “Towns in Colour.” The collection is divided into five sections: “Figurines In Old Saxe”, “Bronze Tablets” (which Lowell sees as being most directly about war), “War Pictures”, “The Overgrown Pasture”, and “Clocks Tick a Century”. The multiple printings of this collection, and the production of electrotype plates to make reprinting easy, hint that this was a widely-read collection of poetry. UNT’s copy itself also shows signs that it …
[The One-Legged Man p.43, The Old Huntsman]
Photograph of page 43 from "The One-Legged Man" by Siegfried Sassoon, held by UNT Special Collections. The page on the right is titled "The One-Legged Man." The poet Siegfried Sassoon, recipient of the Military Cross for acts of heroism, became famous not only for his angry and candid war poems, but also for his open letter of protest to the War Department after being wounded in action. “I believe that this War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it,” he wrote, and after the letter was read aloud in the House of Commons, Sassoon expected to be court-martialed. Once the poet Robert Graves intervened, claiming that Sassoon was suffering from shell-shock. Sassoon was then sent to a facility for mentally infirm soldiers, where he later mentored Wilfred Owen. The poem “The One-Legged Man” represents one of Sassoon’s more bitterly ironic poems in which a man blesses the fortunes of one horror—his own amputation—since it spares him the greater horror of further military service. Doubtless the story resonates with Sassoon’s own, where his patriotism as a citizen of England became subordinate to more peaceful allegiances as a “citizen of life.” The irony of the poem suggests one man’s limitation is another’s mobility, his reinstated power to “choose.”
[Poems and Drawings]
Photographs of "Poems and Drawings" by Henry L. Field, held by UNT Special Collections. The worn cover is dark blue with the title in a white label no the top left corner of the page with the year 1916. Image 2, title page of "Poems and Drawings." Image 3, frontispiece with an image of a mustached man in uniform, the picture labeled "Henry Field, 1894-1916." The author of this collection, Henry Field, served in World War I and died in service on July 1, 1916. The book includes poems written between 1912 and 1916. The preface at the beginning of the book is written by R.F. This could be Field’s mother, Ruth Field, but is more than likely his brother, Richard Field. In addition to supplying the preface, R.F. acts as an editor, making choices about which poems to include and which to omit. There are 26 poems in total, with subject matter ranging from WWI soldiers and death, to Christmas during the war, to unrequited love. There are also poems addressed to specific people, including J.C.F. (most likely Henry’s sister, Jessie). The book includes illustrations by Henry Field as well, which are reproduced lithographically. At the end of the book, the section “From a Pocket Sketch-Book” includes five lithographic prints of illustrations done by Field, mainly of other soldiers. There are also three other illustrations before this section, entitled “Wind” and “Sun” and one of a shepherd. In the preface, R.F. discusses how drawing and painting were “the mode of expression he [Henry] cared for most.” Because this book was intended for “people who care for him” and to show people Henry’s “inner life,” a lot of care is taken with its printing and particularly with the reproduction of Field’s drawings. This care is signaled in the book’s physical …
[Poems, Isaac Rosenberg]
Photographs of "Poems" by Isaac Rosenberg, held by UNT Special Collections. The cover is light blue with the title printed on the top right corner. Image 2, frontispiece and title page. The frontispiece has a black and white photo of a man in a colored jacket. Image 3, "The Dying Soldier" poem on the left page and "Dead Man's Dump" on the right, the pages numbered 88 and 89.
[Poems, Wilfred Owen]
Photographs of "Poems" by Wilfred Owen, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is of the title page, the page to its left covered by a thin brown slip. Image 2, frontispiece showing an image of a young mustached man in uniform. Image 3, "Dulce Et Decorum Est." The text on the left page has three sections numbered IV-VI. The page on the right is titled Dulce and numbered page 15. Wilfred Owen’s poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” stands as the most widely anthologized example of a poem by a WWI soldier who positions his passion and vision in direct opposition to the euphemistic rhetoric about war so prevalent in patriotic verse and political discourse. That said, part of its persuasive strategy is that of rooting its vision in the immediacy of the personal, such that whatever didactic energy of the closure grows out of a dramatic context and the sense of personal authority gathered in the process. Much of the success of this structure relies upon a series of “turns,” or “voltas,” that delineate the poem’s development. The immediate physicality and collective sweep of perspective will be critical to the gathering force of argument. The first turn (“Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!) turns our gaze from the collective to the individual: the moment of crisis and the individual victim who then plunges toward the individual witness clear into his unconscious. The next turn, the most major of the poem, thus breaks from narrative into a higher register of voice that raises the stakes and ambition of the poem. So too we move to second person point of view, so that the poem overall takes on a funnel structure that moves toward greater intimacy from men, to man, to I, to the unconscious, to you, that “friend” who gives to …
[Songs of Men]
Photographs of "Songs of Men" by Robert Frothingham, held by UNT Special Collections. The book is opened up to the title page, the title at the top and publishing information at the bottom with an orange graphic in the middle. Image 1, cover of "Songs of Men." The cover is yellow with stains at the top and with a black spine.. The black title is stamped at the top followed by a black circular graphic.
[Sword Blades and Poppy Seed]
Photographs of "Sword Blades and Poppy Seed" by Amy Lowell, held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is of the blue/grey spine with a label at the top of it containing the title. Image 2, the book opened up to the title page, with the left page containing publishing information.
["There Are No Islands, Any More": Lines Written in Passion and in Deep Concern for England, France and My Own Country]
Photographs of ""There Are No Islands, Any More": Lines Written in Passion and in Deep Concern for England, France and My Own Country" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, held by UNT Special Collections. The pale blue/green cover has the title in navy blue inside of a curved frame design. Image 2, title page of the book, with the page on the left containing a list of other books by Millay. At 10 pages long, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s There Are No Islands, Any More is a book containing only one poem. Written on the cusp of World War II, “in Passion and in Deep Concern for England, France and My Own Country,” the poem chides the isolationist stance still prevalent among many Americans amidst the growing threat of Fascism and Nazism. Millay’s patriotism and support of the war contrasts her previous role as a pacifist in World War I, and is epitomized by the book’s copyright page, which bears a statement by Millay: “This poem, written by me in the cause of democracy, has been printed and distributed with my permission, free of royalty to me or profit to my publishers. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be turned over to an established war relief agency.” Published by Harper & Brothers Publishers (now HarperCollins) and printed and bound by the Haddon Craftsmen in Camden, New Jersey, UNT’s copy is a first edition. Publication and printing information is displayed between two small stars on the last page of the book, along with a statement regarding the typeface (Bulmer), and that it was set by hand at the Golden Hind Press in Madison, New Jersey. The detail-oriented, artisanal quality of the book’s printing is antithetical to the centralized, mass-produced style of printing that had become popular with the invention …
[The Winnowing Fan: Poems on the Great War, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "The Winnowing Fan: Poems on the Great War" by Laurence Binyon, held by UNT Special Collections. The dark green cover has the name nad author printed at the top of the book in gold lettering.
[Any Soldier to His Son, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "Any Soldier to His Son" by George Willis, held by UNT Special Collections. The cover is grey, with the spine being darker. The title is in a silver frame on the top right, the lettering also in silver. In 1919, a collection of poems titled Any Soldier to His Son, authored by George Willis, was published by George Allen & Unwin LTD out of London. Although there is not much readily available biographical information on Willis, it is known that he was a soldier in the British army during World War I. The book itself is small, with an olive green cover designed by C.R.W. Nevinson but otherwise lacking illustrations other than the ornate publisher’s insignia on the title page. There is also no dedication or foreword, leaving the reader with little direction on how to read the book. However, the book concludes with a one-page advertisement for three other books of war poetry also published by George Allen & Unwin, including A Gallipoli Diary by Major Graham Gillam, another first-hand account of battle. Any Soldier to His Son contains eighteen poems, ranging in length but written primarily in rhyming couplets. Notable titles include “Any Soldier to His Son,” “To My Mate,” and “By Green Envelope,” addressed to the poet’s beloved wife. The subject matter of Willis’ poetry revolves around the experiences of a soldier, both during and after the war. Willis investigates the change in a soldier brought on by combat, and the book ends with “A Testament,” in which the soldier is asking for peace in death. In the progression of the poems, Willis is arguably imagining himself as a mouthpiece for all soldiers. Through his poetry, he seeks to help civilians better understand what it meant to be on the front lines …
[Backgrounds, cover]
Photograph of the cover of "Backgrounds" by Grace Mary Golden, held by UNT Special Collections. The pale grey paper book contains the title and author at the top, the publishing info at the bottom. Most of the page is covered by an illustration of a woman watching a soldier rowing at sea with a dog next to her. All the wording and illustrations are in black.
[Cease Firing: Fifty Poems of the New Peace]
Photographs of "Cease Firing: Fifty Poems of the New Peace," held by UNT Special Collections. The first image is the cover of "Cease Firing," blue/green color with the title imprinted in gold at the top in between three lines of gold. The second image is of the title page and frontispiece. The frontispiece is a black and white illustration with the words piece at the top made up of small birds. Image 3, poem titled "Peace Shall Live" expanding over two pages. At the very top of the left page it is titled "Cease Firing" and the top of the right page titled "Seek Peace and Pursue It."
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