Book Description
In 1904, the Canadian Bank of Commerce transferred teller Robert W. Service to the Yukon Territory. Soon, he was famous as the poet who chronicled the Klondike gold rush and the savage beauty of the frozen north. His tales of hard-bitten prospectors and sourdoughs in "The Land God Forgot" make vivid, exciting reading. Here are all the brawling, colorful characters that Service immortalized, including One-Eyed Mike, Dangerous Dan McGrew, Pious Pete, Blasphemous Bill-and, of course, the lady known as Lou. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

GRANDFATHER OF THE COWBOY POETS
Robert Service, if anyone, could be called "the grandfather of cowboy poets."This has been a popular genre over the past few years and much of the work done by these wonderful men and women can be traced back to Service's poems and style.Being called the "Bard of the Yukon" is certainly true, but sells this particular writer short.His works include so much more that just the delightful poems of the Canadian Territory.Simply written, with a story, they are quite a delight for both old and young alike.I recent years, some of our elitist in our academic world have been less than kind to this poet.This is all well and good with me.They simply don't get it.Service's work will quite likely endure far longer than some of the ranting I read in the professional journals.I read these poems to young folks in my classes, and they seldom fail to delight and indeed, inspire.It is difficult to go wrong with this one.Highly recommend.

Cremation of Sam McGee
Went to Alaska and heard the poem, had to own it.

"There are strange things done in the midnight sun..."
Robert William Service (1874-1958), the son of a Scottish banker father and English mother, moved to Canada in 1896 at the age of twenty-two. After a failed attempt at farming and several years of drifting, he got a job with the Canadian Bank of Commerce in the Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in 1904, and was later transferred to Dawson. During his time in Canada, Service wrote numerous poems about life in the north. Though the Klondike Gold Rush had been mostly over by 1898, tales of it still abounded and from these he drew much of his inspiration. His first book of poetry, "The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses," was published in 1907 (printed under the title "Songs of a Sourdough" in London), and was followed in 1909 with "Ballads of a Cheechako." In 1912 Service left Canada to take a job as war correspondent in the Balkans. He continued to write poetry, but moved on to other subject matter and did not return to Canada. Eventually Service ended up in France, where he married and resided until his death.

An Alaskan by birth, I grew up on Robert Service's poetry. My father read selections to me at bedtime when I was little, and I was fortunate enough to hear some professional dramatic readings of Service's work as well (if you're ever lucky enough to get such an opportunity, don't pass it up!). His poems perfectly capture life in the frozen north. His imagery is so vivid that you can see the rugged beauty of the wilderness in your mind's eye as you read. You can feel the biting cold of winters, too: "You know what it's like in the Yukon wild when it's sixty-nine below; When the iceworms wriggle their purple heads through the crust of the pale blue snow; When the pine trees crack like little guns in the silence of the wood; And the icicles hang down like tusks under the parka hood" (pg. 131, from "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill"). Someone who's never been very far north can't fully imagine what it's like, but Service's words will get you as close as is possible, short of an actual trip.

Service's work also encapsulates the spirit of the men who roamed the Yukon during the Gold Rush era. The wanderlust, the loneliness, the foolish enthusiasm, the futility, the madness and the insanity - it's all there. You'll feel "half dazed, half crazed" yourself as you read some of these pieces. It's like a window into the past, into another time and place. And what makes Service's work even greater is his magnificent wit. The poems are full of dark, morbid humor, and laced with irony. "The Ballad of Hard-Luck Henry" (pg. 112) is a great example.

This particular book, "Best Tales of the Yukon," is a combination of poems from Service's first two books, "The Spell of the Yukon" and "Ballads of a Cheechako." It consists entirely of pieces written during his Canadian period, and the editors have arranged them so as to provide a "chronological saga of the Gold Rush" (pg. ix). They've done a magnificent job, beginning with "The Men That Don't Fit In" (pg. 14) and closing with "The Law of the Yukon" (pg. 145) and "Lost" (pg. 150). In between you'll find "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" (pg. 57) and "The Cremation of Sam McGee" (pg. 126), the two that would become his most famous and most frequently recited poems. My other favorites include "The Trail of 'Ninety-Eight" (pg. 28), "The Spell of the Yukon" (pg. 119), and "The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill" (pg. 130). All in all, there are 47 great poems for you to sink your teeth into. There is also a useful glossary at the back, offering definitions of the various Yukon-isms sprinkled throughout Service's work. Definitely worth adding to any collection of poetry and literature.

A deep and inqusitive piece of literature.
I loved this book and encourage others to read it. This book can chill your soul and at the same timemake you feel warm inside. From the Cremation of Sam McGee to the Shooting of Dan McGrew, Mr. Service had meadmiring his work especially after I read 'Grin' which adopts a goodperspective of life. Excellent!

Poems/ballads about the Yukon people.Sad,witty&funny.Bravo!
(1986)I'm stuck in Sinop,Turkey. At the radar station we are bored 'cause it's winter and right now nothing is going on when suddenly a voice from behind me starts what sounds at first like a lethany but evolves into a ballad. No music,just a voice, and it's telling a story... "There's a race of men that don't fit in, A race that can't stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at will. They range the field and they rove the flood, And they climb the mountain's crest. Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood, And they don't know how to rest." You'll find more stories: of love, revenge, perseverance and faith. For the near winter season, nothing beats this collection. Nice for reading aloud by a fire or if unavailable, in a room with the TV off. You don't need to be a proffesional story teller. The prose will take care of everything... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

We love it!
Exactly what I was looking for for my husband.I think it has everything Robert Service ever wrote and is fabulous.

We love it!
Exactly what I was looking for for my husband.I think it has everything Robert Service ever wrote and is fabulous.

The Hobo Philosopher
I hunted far and wide to find this particular volume of poetry by Robert Service. Robert Service is without any doubt my favorite poet. His poems are classics. But many years past when I was just a youth, I stumbled onto a volume of Robert Service where he wrote short prose introductions to his poems. Hoping one day to become a poet myself, I thought these prose introductions provided the greatest insight to how a poet creates. I looked and looked and looked but could never find that volume. Then one day in a second hand book shop some where I found it. It was this volume. I paid a good price for it. I've recorded all these poems with the prose intros on my karaoke and I play them for myself sometimes at bed time. My wife has her "ears" on her burrow (she's hard of hearing) so she is not disturbed. In my opinion Robert is the epitome of fine poetry. He has it all humor, pathos, romance, intellectual content, melody, beauty, intensity, warmth, toughness, manliness - you name it; he's got it. Buy this volume you will not regret it.

ONE OF MY FAVORITES
As pointed out by a couple of other reviewers, Robert Service's work has been rather putdown over the years by the elitist and, indeed, still is.That is just fine by me.The only problem here is that because of this "looking down upon attitude" many, who like to associate with such people may not read Service's work for that reason.That is a shame because they are missing some great poetry and a whole group of fun.Recently, the "cow boy poets" in our country are making a come back and rightfully so.These "unsophisticated" poems reflect our culture, tell a story and are simply good.Service falls withing this genre.I enjoy poetry in most forms and I certainly would feel much poorer for not having read this author's work.Service tells simple stories with simple words, that are to the point and few frills.There is little pretentiousness here.These are stories from our past and need to be treasured.Recommend this work highly.

Poems Review of Robert Service
Interesting reading.Very thought provoking and enlighting.Just a joy to read and so meaningful to every day life. ... Read more

Product Description
The Trail of '98 and Ballads of a Bohemian ... Read more

Book Description
In 1904, the Canadian Bank of Commerce transferred teller Robert W. Service to the Yukon Territory. Soon, he was famous as the poet who chronicled the Klondike gold rush and the savage beauty of the frozen north. His verse tales of hard-bitten prospectors and sourdoughs make vivid, exciting reading, with such colorful characters as One-Eyed Mike, Dangerous Dan McGrew, Pious Pete, Blasphemous Bill-and, of course, the lady known as Lou. This book features 49 of Service's poems, along with stunning duotone photos of people and landscapes of the Yukon. Our previous title, Robert W. Service: Best Tales of the Yukon, has sold more than 110,000 copies! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

A great book of Photos and Poetry
I am very happy with this book.It combines a lot of Service's greatest poems with great Photos of the land and people he wrote about.It is a lovely book that you can be proud to have in your collection.

Great Poems from the heart of the land...
I love Robert Service's raw tones and poems. He tells them with a grit that is true to heart and really just gives you a feel for what is going on and what it was like to be in the real wilderness days. I have heard he described as crude and if that's how you want to view it...go ahead but these poems aren't crude...they tell the true spirit of the classic days with great detail and life.

A Poet for the People
I first stumbled upon Robert W. Service when I found a small volume of his poetry from before and during World War One in an antique shop in Maine.I hungered for more, searched the internet, and was thrilled to find this book available, as well as others.Service's poetry is what poetry should be, at least in my mind.It flows evenly, it rhymes, it tells stories about human beings' lives, feelings, and struggles. Plus, he deals with people, places, and times in history that interest me, especially World War One, northern North America, Europe, etc.This is an excellent, excellent collection of his works.

A POET AT THE TOP OF MY LIST
Robert Service, if anyone, could be called "the grandfather of cowboy poets."This has been a popular genre over the past few years and much of the work done by these wonderful men and women can be traced back to Service's poems and style.Being called the "Bard of the Yukon" is certainly true, but sells this particular writer short.His works include so much more that just the delightful poems of the Canadian Territory.Simply written, with a story, they are quite a delight for both old and young alike.I recent years, some of our elitist in our academic world have been less than kind to this poet.This is all well and good with me.They simply don't get it.Service's work will quite likely endure far longer than some of the ranting I read in the professional journals.I read these poems to young folks in my classes, and they seldom fail to delight and indeed, inspire.It is difficult to go wrong with this one.Highly recommend.

An astonishing bargain!

They say that Robert Service was not a 'poet's poet'. The effete literati sneered at his work, and accused him of writing doggerel. But, the people have always loved his work.He was truly a 'people's poet.'

His first volume of poetry, The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses, sold out while it was still on the presses. Two of his ballads, The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee, are among the most memorized poems in history.

The Shooting of Dan McGrew alone made him a half-million dollars, which was a sizeable fortune in his time.He never had to do manual labor for his bread again, after its publication.

This volume of his work contains not only all of his best-known poems (those contained in both The Spell of the Yukon and his second, longer collection, Ballads of a Cheechako), but also many of the photographs of the famous Northwestern photographers, Clarke and Clarence Kinsey -- famous not only for the photography of the Klondike gold rush, but also for Clarke's later photographs of Pacific Northwest logging, some of which were included also in my father's book, When Timber Stood Tall.

This is a high quality coffee table book that you will not only delight in reading before the fire on a winter's evening or when that confining office job is getting you down, but it will also display well on your coffee table, where it will draw friends' attention like a magnet.

For Robert Service is, without a doubt, one of the best-loved of the world's poets. His poetry stands alongside that of Kipling, Coleridge and Poe in the public's affection.

Joseph Pierre

... Read more

Book Description
Robert Service's particular sense of the wild makes him stand out as a true North American poet. His fanciful tales of the rough-and-tumble Yukon have made him one of the most popular and frequently recited poets in the English-speaking world. Service's poems are perfect for sharing with children and friends, reading alone, or best of all, reciting around the campfire.

Dan McGrew, Sam McGee, and Other Great Service includes over fifty of Robert Service's best-loved poems, while Mark Summers' illustrations perfectly capture their mood. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

WONDERFUL STUFF HERE - STILL
This is a wonderful collection of the works of Robert Service.The poetry here is the kind that you loved as a kid.Then you grew up and became ultra-sophisticated and you were able to roll your wisdom filled eyes and look down your well educated nose at such work.Fortunately, you soon grow out of this phase of your life (sooner if you are lucky, most get over themselves around the age of 25 or so) and you happen to pick this delightful work up again.Yes, folks, it is still as good as when you were a kid!Actually, I love reading it to my preteen and teen age grandsons.They still appreciate it, and will again after they go through their little bit of growing up.I highly recommend this one for anyone who love reading or loves poetry.

Fine poetry by an adventurer.
When I studied poetry in school I didn't particularly like most of what we were assigned to read. And then I read Robert Service's poem The Shooting of Dan McGrew and discovered that I liked it. Next I read The Cremation of Sam McGee and decided that poetry could actually be fun. Eventually I read other poems by Robert Service and discovered that, although most were more serious than Dan McGrew and Sam McGee, they still appealed to me. In fact, thanks in large part to Service, I have now developed a taste for other poetry as well. Robert Service was an adventurer as well as a poet and his adventurer's perspective makes his poems particular appealing. If you're a fan of Robert Service this is a good collection of his work. If you haven't read him yet this is a good place to start. And if you think that you don't like poetry, maybe Service will help convert you as he did me.

Great collection of Robert Service, superbly illustrated
This is an outstanding collection of great Robert Service Poetry, superbly illustrated. ... Read more

Book Description
One said: Thy life is thine to make or mar, To flicker feebly, or to soar, a star; It lies with thee -- the choice is thine, is thine, To hit the ties or drive thy auto-car.Download Description
One said: Thy life is thine to make or mar, To flicker feebly, or to soar, a star; It lies with thee -- the choice is thine, is thine, To hit the ties or drive thy auto-car. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A pleasing discovery
I don't get poetry.For me, it tends to be hard to decipher and follow.Maybe that's why I tend not to read it.Robert Service is a pleasant surprise, and a "rediscovery" for me.I heard a friend's son try to recite "The Cremation of Sam McGee".His recitation was somewhat lacking in clarity, but the poem sounded "fun".I picked this book up in a bookstore (I bought a second copy from Amazon.com for a gift) and read "My Madonna".I laughed out loud and decided I NEEDED to own the book.Robert Service's images came through loud and clear.I thouroughly enjoyed reading his poems, and while I will admit he kinda beats the reader over the head with some of his images, there is no denying I understood what he was trying to portray.Stark.Forbidding.Unsettling.Chilling.Humerous.Pick the book up read it and find yourself being drawn into another century, and appreciating YOU don't have to live in that time or that place.
I saw a live performance of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" in a saloon in Fairbanks, Alaska, several decades ago.I had forgotten how entertaining Robert Service could be.Rediscover or discover him, you'll be glad you did.

American Poetry Classic
This is a classic. PERIOD! Do yourself a favor and buy this little book so that you can memorize "The Creamation of Sam McGee" if nothing else. You will always have a way to keep small children spellbound with this captivating verse.

This, along with Service's other poems have a magical way of transforming us to the Yukon. You will feel as though you are there!

Wild Prose, Rough Living, Tender Heart
Robert Service wrote in the golden years of the Klondike -- of the rough and ready men, and women just as tough.No-one in Robert's world (real or imagined) minced words or had any self-consciousness about them.It was live and let live and sometimes kill or be killed.

Reading his poemstransports us back to that frozen place in nature when it was literallyevery man and every woman for him/herself, yetRobert conveys to us notonly a sensitivity (in his poem extolling the simple light switch --something quite novel in those times, especially in the Klondike), but thebeauties he saw in the others -- gathered around the village's first"grammyphone", hearing the voice of "canned man" comingfrom it -- some savages taking to their canoes because it seems demonic,yet others equally savage, enraptured by this miracle of sound.

Coldcabins, with hoarfrost clinging to the inside rafters -- unwashed masses initchy long-johns struggling out of bed on an arctic day -- and the beautyof the lilies ("Unforgotten") living side by side with atrapper's two-timing woman getting her just desserts (over "a blackfox skin") -- Robert Service touches the heart and soul of the roughand raw Klondike in the early 1900's, and shows us the soul's emotions andcolors from inky black to pure gold. ... Read more

Book Description
Word count: 1928. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Parks & Recreation, published by National Recreation and Park Association on March 1, 1997. The length of the article is 7078 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Employees involved in recreation and parks must become flexible in the face of constant change, which is a reality for many occupations. Park and recreation departments no longer have a permanent mandate but rather one that is constantly changing and requires flexibility.

Citation Details
Title: Recreation and parks in a changing world: becoming a health service. (the Robert W. Carwford Lecture)(Transcript)
Author: Geoffrey Godbey
Publication: Parks & Recreation (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 1997
Publisher: National Recreation and Park Association
Volume: v32Issue: n3Page: p91(16)

Article Type: Transcript

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Adventure Classics is the second multi-author anthology in the Graphic Classics series. The book presents thirteen stories and poems of danger, horror, comedy and romance; all told in new comics adaptations. Included are "The Valley of the Sorceress" by "Fu Manchu" author Sax Rohmer, "The Masked Ball" by Alexandre Dumas, and "Tigre" by Zane Grey. Plus a classic war story by Damon Runyon, a saga of Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini, and a noir crime tale by "Zorro" author Johnston McCulley. Also more stories from O. Henry, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert W. Service, Edith Nesbit, Robert Louis Stevenson and Fitz-James O'Brien, as illustrated by Hunt Emerson, Michael Manning, Mary Fleener, Don Marquez, Mark A. Nelson and more great contemporary artists. With a dramatic cover painting by Chris Moore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Graphic SF Reader
A lot of the artwork here is reminiscent of your independent black and white style stuff, which, I suppose, is not too surprising in a case like this.

The text is of course what is supposed to feature.

The highlight would be the work on Zane Grey's Tigre.

The cartoon style on the Brigadier Gerard and Captain Blood stories is nifty, as well.

Ripping good stuff! Tales of pirates, desert sorceresses, lusty women and dangerous men
The mysterious desert.The high plains.The stormy seas.The dense jungles. These are the places where actions speak louder than words, where the sharp retort of a six-gun decides who is right and who is dead, and a blind tiger stalks with preternatural senses and determination. These are the settings for Adventure Tales, a genre of literature prominent in the 1900's, in which many of the finest authors of the period plied their trades.

In this, their 12th volume, Graphic Classics has assembled an anthology of some of the greatest adventure stories of the time, full of hot blood and cold nights, mystery and magic. These classic tales have been interpreted by a host of talented illustrators, lending their own unique insight into the authors original stories. This is their second anthology book, like Volume 10 "Horror Classics," combining many workers in the genre rather than focusing on a specific author.

Some of the best authors are on display here. Robert Louis Stevenson, author of "Treasure Island," Sax Rohmer, creator of Yellow Peril villain Fu Manchu, Alexander Dumas, creator of The Three Musketeers, renowned cowboy author Zane Grey, Damon Runyon, author of "The Idylls of Miss Sarah" which was adapted as the musical "Guys and Dolls,"Rafael Sabatinin master of Pirate Tales and creator of Captain Blood, Johnston McCully creator of the swashbuckling Zorro, Sherlock Holme's creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Rudyard Kipling, author of "The Jungle Books."

Finally, there is O. Henry, whom if it weren't for Graphics Classics, I might have known nothing more of than the sweet Christmas fable, "The Gift of the Magi," rather than met him as a scribbler of dark cowboy adventures.

This volume contains:

The Wind Blew Shrill and Sharp - A lusty sea poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Skot Olsen provides an excellent and strong sailor to accompany the compelling verse.

In the Valley of the Sorceress - Egypt was a mysterious and magical place at the time, andSax Rohmer weaves a web of desire and danger.An archaeologist attempts to open the hidden tomb of Sorceress Queen Hatasu, but finds his efforts daunted, and his soul beguiled by a beautiful Arab maiden.Illustrator JB Bonivert brings a unique and fanciful style to this classic adventure.

The Masked Ball - By Alexander Dumas.A short and dark tale of heartbreak and desire, accompanied by a hedonistic masked ball where people seek to drown their loneliness and hide their faces.Michael Manning provides a dark atmosphere, heavy with black spaces, as an appropriate accompaniment.

Tigre - The jungles of Mexico are the setting for this tale of lust and revenge.By Zane Grey, an old farmer is a master of wild animals, particularly his blind brutish tiger named Tigre.The only thing he can't tame is his young and pretty wife. Who stalks who in the dense jungle?A straight-forward but perfect comic book adaptation by Don Marquez, particularly of the lovely Senora.

The Shooting of Dan McGrew - A popular cowboy poem by Robert W. Service, adapted with humor and pathos by Hunt Emerson. A lonely miner, a dangerous gambler, and the lady that's known as Lou.

Two Men Named Collins - Damon Runyon gives us a sad and silently heroic of two soldiers who share the same name.On is lonely and ugly, one is popular and handsome.But the one holds the secret of the other, and nobility is not always what it seems.Illustrator Noel Tuazon does a spectacular adaptation of this tail, lending even more weight and atmospher to the yarn.

Blood Money -An adventure of Rafael Sabatinin's celebrated rouge Captain Blood.A straight-forward comic book adaptation by Kevin Atkinson, this is a clever celebration of the key to Captain Bloods success.Pure luck.

Gunga Din -Rudyard Kipling gives us a blood-rousing poem of an Indian water bearer and the Thuggee wars.The prose is amazing. "But when it comes to slaughter, you will do your work on water, an' you'll lick the bloomin' boots of 'im that's got it."Great illustrations by Mary Fleener, this was the first time I had read this classic poem.

The Man without a Shadow - An Irish short story author, this is a companion piece to "A Day-Dream" which appears in "Horror Classics."A whimsical adaptation by Milton Knight of a clever tale.

The Mystery of the Semi-Detached - I always knew Edith Nesbit as the author of the children's tales "The Boxcar Children," but little did I know she had this tale of murder and ghosts in her.With excellent Victorianesque illustrations by Antonella Caputo.

The Stolen Story - Johnston McCully is best known for swashbuckling, but this tale of fictional theft is equally gripping. A man's dreams are met, although they turn into a nightmare.With appropriately grotesque illustrations by Chris Pelletiere.

The Crime of the Brigadier - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had many characters, one of them Brigadier Gerard, a teller of tall-tales and adventurer in Napoleon's army.This funny yarn is comically adapted by Nick Miller is a suiting style.

The Roads We Take -Another black tale of cowboys by O. Henry, a story of betrayal, and a man's true character.Outlaw Shark Dodson saw two roads ahead of him, both leading to the same ending.A bleak story, with a perfect adaptation by Pedro Lopez.So good I immediately read it again after finishing it.

As exciting, wild, and spooky to read as its predecessors
The twelfth volume in the "Adventure Classics" series of graphic novels and short story collections, the reader is treated to some of the finest adventure writing by some of the most talented authors, and adapted to the graphic novel format by illustrators and artists of matching caliber. The stories comprising this issue include: "In the Valley of the Sorceress" by Sax Rohmer, ill. by J. B. Bonivert; "The Masked Ball" by Alexandre Dumas, ill. by Michael Manning; "Two Men Named Collins" by Damon Runyon, ill. by Noel Tuazon; "Tigre" by Zane Grey, ill. by Don Marquez; "Blood Money" by Rafael Sabatini, ill. by Kevin Atkinson; "The Stolen Story" by Johnston McCulley, ill. by Chris Pelletiere; "Gunga Din", by Rudyard Kipling, ill. by Mary Fleener, and more. Thrilling tales of the past century brought to life in a wide variety of bold, black-and-white styles make Adventure Classics Volume 12 as exciting, wild, and spooky to read as its predecessors.
... Read more

Book Description
BALLADS OF A CHEECHAKO ROBERT W. SERVICE - To the Man of the High North MY rhymes are rough, and often in my rhyming Ive drifted, silver-sailed, on seas of dream, Hearing afar the bells of Elfland chiming, Seeing the groves of Arcadie agleam. I was the thrall of Beauty that rejoices From peak snow-diademed to regal star Yet to mine aerie ever pierced the voices, The pregnant voices of the Things That Are. The Here, the Now, the vast Forlorn around us The gold-delirium, the ferine strife The lusts that lure us on, the hates that hound us Our red rags in the patch-work quilt of Life. TO THE MAN OF THE HIGH NORTH The nameless men who nameless rivers travel, And in strange valleys greet strange deaths alone The grim, intrepid ones who would unravel The mysteries that shroud the Polar Zone. These will I sing, and if one of you linger Over my pages in the Long, Long Night, And on some lone line lay a calloused finger, Saying Its human-true it hits me right Then will I count this loving toil well spent Then will I dream awhile content, content. CONTENTS TO THE MAN OF THE HIGH NORTH . My rhymes are rough, and often in my rhyming. PAGE . . v MEN OF THE HIGH NORTH 15 Men of the High North, the wild sky is blazing. THE BALLAD OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS 18 One of the Down and Out thats me. Stare at me well, ay, stare THE BALLAD OF THE BLACK FOX SKIN . There was Claw-fingered Kitty and Windy Ike living the life of shame. 33 THE BALLAD OF PIOUS PETE 43 I tried to refine that neighbor of mine, honest to God, I did. -THE BALLAD OF BLASPHEMOUS BILL . I took a contract to bury the body of blasphemous Bill MacKie. . 50 THE BALLAD OF ONE-EYED MIKE.... 57 This is the tale that was told to me by the man with the crystal eye. vii viii CONTENTS PAGE THE BALLAD OF THE BRAND 62 Twas up in a land long famed for gold, where women were far and rare. THE BALLAD OF HARD-LUCK HENRY . Now wouldnt you expect to find a man an awful crank. . 71 THE BALLAD OF GUM-BOOT BEN .... 76 He was an old prospector with a vision bleared and dim. -THE MAN FROM ELDORADO 81 Hes the man from Eldorado, and hes just arrived in town. MY FRIENDS 90 The man above was a murderer, the man below was a thief. THE PROSPECTOR 94 I strolled up old Bonanza, where I staked in ninety-eight. THE BLACK SHEEP 100 Hark to the ewe that bore him. THE TELEGRAPH OPERATOR 105 I will not wash my face. THE WOOD-CUTTER 109 The sky is like an envelope. CONTENTS ix THE SONG OF THE MOUTH-ORGAN. . Im a homely little bit of tin and bone. PAGE . .114 THE TRAIL OF NINETY-EIGHT 118 Gold We leapt from our benches. Gold We sprang from our stools. CLANCY OF THE MOUNTED POLICE . In the little Crimson Manual its written plain and clear. . .128 LOST 138 Black is the sky, but the land is white. LENVOI 145 We talked of yesteryears, of trails and treasure. ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE YOUR LITTLE SOD-ROOFED CABINS WITH THE SNUGLY MOSS-CHINKED WALLS .... Frontispiece BEAUTY THAT REJOICES FROM PEAK SNOW-DIADEMED TO REGAL STAR 18 OER SOUNDLESS LAKES WHERE THE GRAYLING MAKES A RUSH AT THE CLUMSY FLY 32 THE VASTITUDES WHERE THE WORLD PROTRUDES THROUGH CLOUDS LIKE SEAS UP-SHOALED . . . 42 FOR ONCE YOUVE PANNED THE SPECKLED SAND, AND SEEN THE BONNY DUST THE BIG, BLUE, SILT-FREIGHTED YUKON .... 70 THE LONELY WAIF OF THE WOOD-CAMP .... 90 NOTHING BUT ROCK AND TREE NOTHING BUT WOOD AND STONE 104 WE TIGHTENED OUR GIRTHS AND OUR PACK-STRAPS WE LINKED ON THE HUMAN CHAIN . . . .120 THERE WAS THE RAGE OF THE RAPIDS . . . .138 xi 56Download Description
I Took A Contract To Bury The Body Of Blasphemous Bill Mackie, Whenever, Wherever Or Whatsoever The Manner Of Death He Die-- Whether He Die In The Light O' Day Or Under The Peak-faced Moon; In Cabin Or Dance-hall, Camp Or Dive, Mucklucks Or Patent Shoon. ... Read more

Product Description
This Volume Contains fifty-seven poems by the incomparable Robert Service, including: The Pines, The Spell of the Yukon, Over The Parapet, The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill, The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Trial of 98, The Cremation of Sam McGee. etc... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Treasures of the Far North
One of the favorite books of poetry on my shelf, I own several books of Robert Service poetry. His works are among the most delightful to read out loud. This collection, largely gold-rush tales, weaves the spell of the far north with a brilliance untouched by almost any other author.

Most of these works have a simple meter and rhyming scheme. You could almost march to them. Yet the breadth of emotion, the intimacy of detail, the colorful description of a world clothed in whites and grays - all combine to place this work in a class of its own.

... Read more