# Anthology

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Collection of creative works chosen by the compiler

For other uses, see [Anthology (disambiguation)](/source/Anthology_(disambiguation)).

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In [book publishing](/source/Publishing), an **anthology** is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of [plays](/source/Play_(theatre)), [poems](/source/Poem), [short stories](/source/Short_story), [songs](/source/Song), [fiction](/source/Fiction) or [non-fiction](/source/Non-fiction) excerpts. There are also thematic and [genre](/source/Genre)-based anthologies.[1] Complete collections of works are also called "[complete works](/source/The_Complete_Works)" or *opera omnia* in [Latin](/source/Latin).

## Etymology

The word entered the [English language](/source/English_language) in the 17th century, from the [Greek](/source/Greek_language#Greek_loanwords_in_other_languages) word, ἀνθολογία (*anthologic*, literally "a collection of blossoms", from ἄνθος, *ánthos*, flower), a reference to one of the earliest known anthologies, [the *Garland*](/source/Meleager_of_Gadara#The_Garland_of_Meleager) (Στέφανος, *stéphanos*), the introduction to which compares each of its anthologized poets to a flower. That *Garland* by [Meléagros of Gadara](/source/Meleager_of_Gadara) formed the kernel for what has become known as the *[Greek Anthology](/source/Greek_Anthology). [Florilegium](/source/Florilegium),* a Latin derivative for a collection of [flowers](/source/Flower), was used in medieval Europe for an anthology of Latin [proverbs](/source/Proverb) and textual excerpts. Shortly before anthology had entered the language, English had begun using florilegium as a word for such a collection.[1]

## History

### Before 20th century

#### Europe

The *[Palatine Anthology](/source/Palatine_Anthology),* discovered in the *[Bibliotheca Palatina](/source/Bibliotheca_Palatina),* [Heidelberg](/source/Heidelberg) in 1606, is a collection of Greek poems and epigrams based on the lost 10th-century [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_Empire) collection of [Constantine Kephalas](/source/Constantine_Kephalas), which in turn was based on older anthologies. In the [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), European collections of *florilegia* became popular, bringing together extracts from various [Christian](/source/Christianity) and [pagan](/source/Paganism) philosophical texts. These evolved into [commonplace books](/source/Commonplace_book) and [miscellanies](/source/Miscellany), including proverbs, quotes, letters, poems and prayers.[2]

A page of the Palatine Anthology (Codex Palatinus 23), 10th century, from the Library of the [University of Heidelberg](/source/Heidelberg_University)

*[Songes and Sonettes](/source/Tottel's_Miscellany)*, usually called *Tottel's Miscellany*, was the first printed anthology of English poetry. It was published by [Richard Tottel](/source/Richard_Tottel) in 1557 in London and ran to many editions in the 16th century.[3] A widely read series of political anthologies, *Poems on Affairs of State*, began its publishing run in 1689, finishing in 1707.[4]

In [Britain](/source/Great_Britain), one of the earliest national poetry anthologies to appear was *The British Muse* (1738), compiled by [William Oldys](/source/William_Oldys). [Thomas Percy](/source/Thomas_Percy_(bishop_of_Dromore))'s influential *[Reliques of Ancient English Poetry](/source/Reliques_of_Ancient_English_Poetry)* (1765), was the first of the great ballad collections, responsible for the ballad revival in English poetry that became a significant part of the Romantic movement. [William Enfield](/source/William_Enfield)'s *The Speaker; Or, Miscellaneous Pieces* was published in 1774 and was a mainstay of 18th Century schoolrooms. Important 19th century anthologies included Palgrave's *[Golden Treasury](/source/Palgrave's_Golden_Treasury)* (1861), [Edward Arber](/source/Edward_Arber)'s *Shakespeare Anthology* (1899) and the first edition of [Arthur Quiller Couch](/source/Arthur_Quiller-Couch)'s [Oxford Book of English Verse](/source/Oxford_Book_of_English_Verse) (1900).[4]

[Title page](/source/Title_page) of the third edition of *Reliques of Ancient English Poetry* (1775).

#### Asia

In [East Asian](/source/East_Asia) traditions, an anthology was a recognized form of compilation of a given [poetic form](/source/Poetic_form). It was assumed that there was a cyclic development: any particular form, say the *[tanka](/source/Waka_(poetry))* in [Japan](/source/Japan), would be introduced at one point in history, be explored by masters during a subsequent time, and finally be subject to popularisation (and a certain dilution) when it achieved widespread recognition. In this model, which derives from Chinese tradition, the object of compiling an anthology was to preserve the best of a form, and cull the rest.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In [Malaysia](/source/Malaysia), an anthology (or *antologi* in [Malay](/source/Malay_language)) is a collection of *syair*, *sajak* (or modern prose), [proses](/source/Prose), [drama](/source/Drama) scripts, and [pantuns](/source/Pantun). Notable anthologies that are used in [secondary schools](/source/Secondary_school) include [*Sehijau Warna Daun*, *Seuntai Kata Untuk Dirasa*, *Anak Bumi Tercinta*, *Anak Laut* and *Kerusi*](/source/Education_in_Malaysia).[5]

### 20th century

In the 20th century, anthologies became an important part of poetry publishing for a number of reasons. For [English poetry](/source/English_poetry), the [Georgian poetry](/source/Georgian_poetry) series [6] was trend-setting; it showed the potential success of publishing an identifiable group of younger poets marked out as a 'generation'. It was followed by numerous collections from the 'stable' of some literary editor, or collated from a given publication, or labelled in some fashion as 'poems of the year'. Academic publishing also followed suit, with the continuing success of the Quiller-Couch *Oxford Book of English Verse* encouraging other collections not limited to modern poetry.[7] Not everyone approved. [Robert Graves](/source/Robert_Graves) and [Laura Riding](/source/Laura_Riding) published their *Pamphlet Against Anthologies* in 1928, arguing that they were based on commercial rather than artistic interests.[4]

The concept of *modern verse* was fostered by the appearance of the phrase in titles such as the [Faber & Faber](/source/Faber_%26_Faber) anthology by [Michael Roberts](/source/Michael_Roberts_(writer)) in 1936,[8] and the very different [William Butler Yeats](/source/William_Butler_Yeats) [Oxford Book of Modern Verse](/source/Oxford_Book_of_Modern_Verse) of the same year.[9] In the 1960s *[The Mersey Sound](/source/The_Mersey_Sound_(anthology))* anthology of [Liverpool poets](/source/Liverpool_poets) became a bestseller, plugging into the countercultural attitudes of teenagers.[10]

Since publishers generally found anthology publication a more flexible medium than the collection of a single poet's work, and indeed rang innumerable changes on the idea as a way of marketing poetry, publication in an anthology (in the right company) became at times a sought-after form of recognition for poets. The self-definition of movements, dating back at least to [Ezra Pound](/source/Ezra_Pound)'s efforts on behalf of [Imagism](/source/Imagism), could be linked on one front to the production of an anthology of the like-minded.[11]

Also, whilst not connected with poetry, publishers have produced collective works of fiction and non-fiction from a number of authors and used the term anthology to describe the collective nature of the text. These have been in a number of subjects, including *Erotica*, edited by [Mitzi Szereto](/source/Mitzi_Szereto), and *[American Gothic Tales](/source/American_Gothic_Tales)* edited by [Joyce Carol Oates](/source/Joyce_Carol_Oates). *The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists*, published in 2000, anthologises four centuries of diary entries into 365 'days'.[12]

## See also

- [Poetry portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Poetry)

- [Chrestomathy](/source/Chrestomathy)

- [Diwan](/source/Diwan_(poetry))

- [Omnibus edition](/source/Omnibus_edition)

- [Primer](/source/Primer_(textbook))

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-def_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-def_1-1) Chris Baldrick. [*The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms*](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199208272.001.0001/acref-9780199208272-e-62), 3rd. ed (2008)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Burke, Victoria (2013). "Recent Studies in Commonplace Books". *English Literary Renaissance*. **43** (1): 154. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/1475-6757.12005](https://doi.org/10.1111%2F1475-6757.12005). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [143219877](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:143219877).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** 'Tottel, Richard', in *The Dictionary of National Biography*. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-cb_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-cb_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-cb_4-2) Clare Bucknell. *The Treasuries: Poetry Anthologies and the Making of British Culture* (2023)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** William Katz and others. *[The Columbia Granger's Guide to Poetry Anthologies](https://books.google.com/books?id=2OyWjxFi5lEC&q=Denes+Agay)*, 2nd, edition 1994

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** James Bridges (Independent Scholar) (31 July 2002). ["Bridges, James. Georgian Poetry. The Literary Encyclopedia. 31 July 2002"](http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=470). Litencyc.com. Retrieved 24 December 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Quiller-Couch, Arthur, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250 – 1900"](http://www.bartleby.com/101/). Bartleby.com. Retrieved 24 December 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Faber Anthologies](http://www.faber.co.uk/tags/genre/Faber%20Anthologies/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090206023716/http://www.faber.co.uk/tags/genre/Faber%20Anthologies/) February 6, 2009, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Fantastic Fiction – Oxford Book of Modern Verse"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141104204431/http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/y/w-b-yeats/oxford-book-of-modern-verse.htm/). Archived from [the original](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/y/w-b-yeats/oxford-book-of-modern-verse.htm/) on 4 November 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Michael Thurston, Nigel Alderman. [*Reading Postwar British and Irish Poetry*](https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Reading_Postwar_British_and_Irish_Poetry/jYAKAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22the+mersey+sound%22+%22anthology%22&pg=PT276&printsec=frontcover) (2013)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Helen Carr. [*The Verse Revolutionaries: Ezra Pound, H.D. and The Imagists*](https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Verse_Revolutionaries/TWqLCfkmSaoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=H.+D.,+Ezra+Pound+and+Imagism&printsec=frontcover) (2013)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [*The Assassin's Cloak*, reviewed in *The Guardian*, 12 November 2000](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/nov/12/biography.euanferguson)

## External links

Media related to [Anthologies](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Anthologies) at Wikimedia Commons

- ["Anthology"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica,_Ninth_Edition/Anthology). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica)*. Vol. II (9th ed.). 1878. pp. 103–106.

v t e Series of works Series Trilogy Tetralogy Pentalogy Hexalogy Heptalogy See also Anthology Complete works Polyptych Diptych Triptych

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Anthology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthology) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthology?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.