This book has an interesting premise, but fails to fully identity itself for what it is.

Dog-eared is a poetry compilation with the center focus being dogs. That is completely fine and generally, enjoyable. However, this book goes through a few tonal shifts that make it hard to say that it is a must-read or must-have. The introduction spends a lot of time engaging in academic discussion about the poems it will include. It talks about and quotes a couple of the included poems in a bit more depth. On some of the poems there is commentary on what the authors may have intended, or tidbits of what they thought about animals. Other times, there isn't anything additional added at all.

This book is organized chronologically, so the first few poems are excerpts from longer works. These poems are often accompanied by a little bit of commentary. Sometimes it is enlightenting and sometimes it feels kind of forced. This was probably my least favorite section, because some of these poems are also the most accessible and are included as excerpts. I am not a fan of excerpts, because I'd rather just read the entire work to see the full context. I understand many people like to just have relevant bits or won't take the time to read the entire thing, but that's my preference. Reading an excerpt with very little context makes me feel like I've been dropped in the middle of nowhere without a map.

Now, as a person who did study English & American Literature academically, as well as poetry (within English and creative writing), I genuinely see what the author was trying to do and I appreciate it. However, I don't feel like the execution was done that well. I like the effort, I like the concept, and I wish that this had been a stronger volume. At times this volume felt like it wanted to be an academic dive into canine poetry. At other times it felt like a poetry survey presentation done by a new undergraduate student, that falls flat. It has all the research, material, and beginning insight to be worth paying attention to, but it fails to really provide a solid thesis statement or consistent product. When I think of poetry and literature anthologies, I think of collections of work that I just HAVE to have, because they combine things I need or love, in an effective way or they are needed in order to complete an assignment for a course. Some anthologies you buy just to have the works, some you buy for the insights they provide, and some you buy because you're basically forced to. I have an anthology of short fiction that just gives quick author bios and then has the story or stories included for them. I also have a Norton anthology of Shakespeare that provides more commentary and historical context before each play. Both anthologies serve different purposes, but are highly effective. This anthology of poetry doesn't feel like either, and doesn't feel necessary. It feels like somebody said "I like dogs! Do you like dogs? Look at all these poems I found that include the word dog or that talk about dogs in them!" It is also too academic in tone at times to really be an anthology that an average person would buy just for fun. It doesn't always feel entertaining and it doesn't always feel informative. It teeters back and forth.

As far as consistency, some of the authors get more bios than others, some works are excerpted and mentioned, but not fully included. The bios and commentary are inconsistent in style and presentation, which is what really bothered me. If there was more attention to this aspect of the book, I think I would have enjoyed it better. Also, there is inclusion of what some poets thoughts were on dogs, dogs they owned, or things that they were against (ex: vivisections). These were really insightful inclusions, but I would really like to know where this information comes from. What are the sources? Some excerpts from letters expressing such details are included, but there is no bibliography showing where these views and stances come from. This is why I say that this book does not appear to know what it wants to be. There is some analysis at times. There is no analysis at others. There is some background info for authors at times. There is no background info at others. There are permission citations provided for necessary works. There are no citations for some of the other information that would appear to need citation. This just reads of inconsistency and I feel like if I produced a work similar to this for an in-class presentation, my professors would have some major critiques for not having been consistent, not providing proper citations, and for failing to polish the end product to make it effectively presentable.

The only other thing that really bothered me, was the intensive discussion of poems within the introduction. This was because once I actually got to some of the poems, the additional paragraph seemed to say the exact same thing as the intro and by included quotes from the poems, I felt like I was re-reading a poem that was already done. It felt repetitious, even though I know that I didn't actually read the full thing to begin with. This made it very hard for me to focus as I was reading and it led me to be confused momentarily and pause. I had to think, "didn't I read this already? Wait, which poem about Tray was discussed? Are there multiple dogs named Tray and it's all bleeding over? Or is it only one and I'm remembering it from the Introduction?" That was rather jarring.

Academic criticism aside, I thought this was a good compilation. I liked the range of poems over time and how thoughts on dogs appeared to largely remain the same, even though the poetry style and diction changed per major era. I liked the chronological progression and I love the subject matter. My only suggestion would be to clean up the inconsistency with a few quick edits, trim up the introduction, and add citations to additional biographical information since an academic tone is taken very early on. This is a great concept with a lack luster execution, that has the potential to be a great volume. I'm not going to run out and buy it, but if I ever decided to do some research on portrayal of animals over time, I might locate a copy to use as a directory of sorts. That's moreso what this book feels like. A directory of canine poetry, or a sampler of sorts.

In the Introduction to this collection, Duncan Wu says Understanding dogs as they really are is crucial to our understanding of ourselves; after all, what else are we looking at, when we reflect on our relations with dogs? and shortly after, in discussing Byron, whose ’purest relationships…were with animals, especially dogs…The important point for Byron is that dogs are better than humans. They love where humans merely lust; they are faithful where humans are capable only of betrayal.’ This idea, where ’dogs are better than people – angels with four furry legs and a tail – goes back to at least the seventeenth century’

By the second poem in this collection, MARTIAL (MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS) was written between AD 38/41 and ca. 104, the ‘tone’ has added another … perspective, and some humour.

Epigram 1.83
'Your cute little pup licks your face and lips;
Oh what a surprise! – he loves to eat shit.'

By the late 1500’s, playwright John Heywood writes, in Of Loving a Dog the first instance of the phrase “Love me, love my dog,”

'Love me, love my dog: by love to agree,
I love thy dog as well as I love thee.'

In a poem by William Cowper, On a Spaniel Called Beau, Killing a Young bird which begins with a chastising of the dog for killing a bird, the ‘owner’s’ ending stanza –
''My dog, what remedy remains
Since, teach you all I can,
I see you, after all my pains,
So much resemble man.''

Beau’s Reply

'Sir, when I flew to seize the bird
In spite of your command,
A louder voice than yours I heard
And harder to withstand.'

'You cried, “Forbear!,“ but in my breast
A mightier cried “Proceed!”
‘Twas Nature, sir, whose strong behest
Impelled me to the deed.'

And ending with:

'If killing birds be such a crime
(Which I can hardly see),
What think you, sir, of killing Time
With verse addressed to me?'

As the years pass, poetry addressing animal rights becomes de rigeur, and this topic begins to show up in poetry and writing, including Charles Baudelaire – who generally preferred cats. And some poems even ended up on dog collars. Victor Hugo wrote a couplet for his dog's collar, Sénat, which read:

'I wish that someone would take me home.
Profession: dog. Master: Hugo. Name Sénat'

Many of these I’d read previously, such as Emily Dickinson’s ’They say that “time assuages”’ and ’By the Sea. Thomas Hardy’s ’”Ah, Are You Digging on my Grave?,”’ Kipling’s ”Four-Feet” as well as Robert Frost’s ”The Span of Life”

'The old dog barks backward without getting up.
I can remember when he was a pup.'

For those who love poetry and dogs, and find the thought of life without either unbearable, this might be a must read.

Of Note:
The Fox Terrier Network of North America, along with the ASPCA, will benefit from sales of this book.

Pub Date: 27 Oct 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Perseus Books, Basic Books / Basic Books

A very sweet and informative book of poems about pups. This poetry collection breaks out of the twee as well, and has a huge selection of poems from all time periods and regions about dogs, many of which are in translation or not necessarily by poets that are very famous in the US and other English-speaking countries. Fantastic work!

BOOK REVIEW: Dog Eared ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙜; 𝙗𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 / 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙚.” -John Heywood, included in the Dog Eared poetry collection.

Description ✨ This book is a collection of poems featuring dogs from across centuries (including poems/excerpts from Homer, Ovid, Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and More!)

𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙾𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟽 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶

𝙴𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚅𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢
This book was not exactly what I expected it to be, and that is one of the main things I loved about it. First of all, there were more dog poems spanning over so much time than I ever expected. Some of them were sad and some were happy, but what stuck out most was that the poems showed how our views of dogs have shifted over time. The way dogs were discussed (and how concepts like animal cruelty were explored) changed from poem to poem (which went in chronological order so you could really see the shift). It showed a more complex view of dogs as a result, as not all poems were just light hearted and fun. Reading this reminded me a lot of my days as an English major!

𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢
Wu provides information about each writer and the poem/excerpt chosen. It was really interesting getting to learn more about each writer’s connection to dogs, and there was a lot of history I never knew about! Wu also provides footnotes (especially for some of the older poems) that are extremely helpful.

𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝙸 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍?
Yes! It may not be the type of book everyone reads straight through, although I appreciated that I did so I could see how the poems connected / changes over time occurred. It does have various sad dog moments as well, so be mindful of that if those are hard for you! They usually are for me, but I still felt able to enjoy and appreciate this book.

Dog-eared was an interesting and unexpected read. This compilation of literature's most notable poems about dogs tackled the varying views of man's best friend through history. Duncan Wu's personal introduction sets the stage for the rest of the poems that span from BCE to modern day. Sometimes viewed as a beast, sometimes as a lovable pet, dogs are never as controversial of a topic as they are presented in this book. One of my favorites was Michael Ondaatje's "A Dog in Berkeley".

Poetry + Dogs?? SIGN ME IN!

I always wanted to read an Anthology of all dog poetry by famous or renowned people in literature. I’ve already read one similar to this but it was about cats.

This was a different format from the other one that I read because in this one there were explanations for who the authors were and their relation to dogs in their life experiences. This is interesting because I only expected a compilation of literary works about dogs. That additional touch is greatly appreciated and enhanced my reading experience since I understood the collection more deeply. Additionally, most of the excerpts/poetry included were excellent choices in my opinion. They tackled different perspectives on how dogs can be used in various symbolisms for societal issues.

This is definitely worth the read if you’re into literary poetry and dogs/animals.

While the poetry was nice, this is really just a reprinting of the works of famous writers with some commentary, but not enough to merit a whole book. I admire the thought that went into this writing, but for a person that seems to really know what they're talking about, Wu doesn't talk about it often.

Dog-eared is an enjoyable collection of canine reflection. I enjoyed this wide range of titles and reflections.

Dog-eared by Duncan Wu, one of the books I went in to blindly, I usually grab a book after I have learnt every single thing about it, yes, that includes spoilers too! But with this one, I was like “I’m a simple person, I see dog, I go all in”. So what I expected was a few poems about dogs, but what I got was so much more, it was brief, yet comprehensive, it was poetic and it was a dog lovers heaven.

Mr Duncan introduces us to the concept of “good dogs” and “bad dogs” (I’m still not sold on the idea that there could even be such a thing as a bad dog) through out the history, as told in poems by famous poets and influencers from years past. I was amazed to find out some very familiar names I didn’t know were dog lovers, people like Walter Scott, Dorothy Parker, and Robert Browning, though most of the classic literature addicts know about Emily’s obsession with Flush, her spaniel. Another thing that I usually do not get to read about, when I am devouring the work of these great authors, is the fact that many of them were staunch advocates of animal rights, hard pressed against vivisection (likes of Robert Browning, Christina Rossetti, William Cowper), and dog lovers to the core. And that’s one of the many things that impressed me about this book, the author has driven in to the world of these famous people, the world that has been kept sheltered from us for far too long.

All in all, a wonderful read, with such a complete and diverse collection of poems about the man’s best friend, the “goodest boy”, and the fiercest companion.
Couldn’t leave without sharing these master pieces from the book:

By John Heywood
Love me, love my dog: by love to agree,
I love thy dog as well as I love thee.

And my favorite by Martial, a satirist
Your cute little pup licks your face and lips;
Oh what a surprise!—he loves to eat shit.

What a fantastic idea! A history of dog-poetry from the very beginnings of the form. I found this insightful, educational, and compelling. I also enjoyed its linguistics lessons via the end-of-poem glossaries translating Olde English. I enjoyed the author's take on what makes a dog poem, and the importance of reassessing our perceptions of our favourite animals through the ages. Some of these poems were adventurous, stark, some tragic, some absolutely wonderful in their explorations and representations of dogs and our varied relationships with them. I loved it. Thank you for the chance to read.

trigger warning
<spoiler> animal cruelty, the dog dies, slavery</spoiler>

This anthology contains various poems in rhyme and even one in prose centering around dogs. Dogs as hunter, dogs as friends, dogs as wild beings greeted in passing, dogs as lamented family members that passed.

Most poems follow a short intriduction of the author and since I read a review copy, I am going to assume that before publication, all poets will get this treatment. What I liked is a vocab section, because looking up certain words and phrases from times past can get time consuming and nobody knows <i>all</i> the words.

What this collection lacks is diversity. Most poems are by men, and even those that are not were written by white people. I understand that this is about the classics, but how about a follow-up book with contemporary poems by people from all over the world?

Some poems I'll most likely forgotten already tomorrow, some make me want to look up their authors and read more of their work.

You certainly need to like dogs to find this fun.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Not entirely what I expected but based off the description, you basically get what it says. I guess I had expected some talk of dogs through the ages and maybe some more modern poems about dogs from the author. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed this. I love that the love for dogs can date back from so long ago. The relationship between dogs and humans has always been lovely! This is great for anyone who loves poetry, history, and dogs.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Not exactly what I expected but still interesting. Each chapter is about a famous poet and how dogs were reflected in their works. The author gathered poetry in this anthology all about dogs in a good collection of poems, most of which I'd never heard before.

This collection of poetry read as a history of man’s best friend! I would recommend this to anybody who is a dog person. The poems were a little challenging but if you engage with the text, the meaning becomes clear.

I've never been a huge fan of poetry but after reading Elizabeth Acevedo's first book, I decided to give poetry another chance. That's the main reason why I requested this book followed by my love for dogs. However, this book was not what I was expecting. The majority of the poetry is not an "accessible" type of Poetry. I found myself struggling with the first part of this book, the fact that English is not my first language can also be a factor in my frustration.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, I'm sure many poetry lovers would find it incredible.