Marianne Moore: The Poems of Marianne Moore

What does it mean to observe the world with precision and wonder? Marianne Moore's The Poems of Marianne Moore presents the complete poetic works of one of modernism's most distinctive and brilliant voices—a poet whose meticulous observation, intellectual curiosity, and innovative form created verse of extraordinary wit, precision, and moral depth. Moore (1887-1972) wrote with the eye of a naturalist, the mind of a philosopher, and the craft of a master jeweler, producing poems that combine detailed observation of the natural world with profound meditation on virtue, integrity, restraint, and the examined life. Her poetry is utterly original: precise, playful, erudite, and deeply ethical, finding profound meaning in careful attention to animals, objects, and the moral questions embedded in everyday life.

This complete collection, edited by prize-winning poet Grace Schulman, gathers together all of Moore's poems for the first time, including more than a hundred previously uncollected and unpublished works. The comprehensive scope reveals Moore's extraordinary range and consistency of vision across six decades of writing. Moore's voice is unmistakable: she writes with compressed precision and intellectual depth, using innovative syllabic verse, unexpected quotations, and detailed observation to create poems that are both playful and profound. Her celebrated poems explore animals as moral exemplars ("The Pangolin," "The Fish"), virtue and integrity ("Poetry," "In Distrust of Merits"), craft and restraint ("The Steeple-Jack"), and the relationship between observation and understanding.

For contemplative readers, Moore's poetry offers profound meditation on attention, virtue, and the examined life. Her work asks: What can careful observation teach us about how to live? What is the relationship between precision and truth? How do we cultivate integrity and restraint? What does it mean to see the world with both accuracy and wonder? Moore's verse becomes a companion for mindful living—teaching patient observation, intellectual humility, appreciation for craft and precision, and the conviction that careful attention to the world reveals moral and spiritual truths.

What You'll Discover
Moore's complete poems—all published, uncollected, and unpublished work
Definitive edition edited by Grace Schulman with over 100 previously unavailable poems
Celebrated poems including "Poetry," "The Pangolin," and "The Fish"
Poems on nature, virtue, observation, craft, and the examined life
Contemplative insights into attention, integrity, and moral living
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and Bollingen Prize
One of modernism's most distinctive and influential voices

Marianne Moore (1887-1972) was born in Missouri and lived most of her life in Brooklyn, New York. She published her first collection in 1921 and over five decades created a body of work distinguished by innovative form, precise observation, intellectual depth, and moral seriousness. Her poetry won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Bollingen Prize. She was celebrated for her wit, erudition, and utterly original voice, and influenced generations of poets with her commitment to precision, restraint, and the moral dimensions of careful observation. She remains one of American modernism's most essential and beloved poets.

Perfect for: Readers of American poetry and modernist literature, students of Marianne Moore and 20th-century poetry, contemplative readers exploring observation and virtue, those interested in nature poetry and moral philosophy, anyone drawn to precise craft and intellectual depth, readers of poetry about animals, integrity, and the examined life, admirers of innovative form and erudite, playful verse that finds profound meaning in careful attention.

Paperback edition. Moore's complete poems—offering contemplative wisdom on observation, virtue, and integrity through the precise, witty voice of one of modernism's most essential poets.