American Poetry, 1609-1870 includes works by all the major American poets, and many minor writers, as they appear in individual and collected works.

Following the criteria set by the Harris Collection, American Poetry, 1609-1870 defines "American poets" as those living in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Major poets of these countries are represented in this collection, along with their first editions containing the original text and supplementary editions containing alterations by the poet or corrections of misprints.

American Poetry: 1609-1870 provides students and scholars of literature with approximately 9,600 titles that serve not only as a thorough sampling of poetry from this period, but also as a reflection of the culture, lifestyles and sentiment of Americans throughout the country's formative years.

The collection provides a look at the shift of themes in American poetry as writer's interests changed with the times. Readers will see works from the Colonial American period, influenced by English poetry and tending to be elegiac, pious and moral, as well as later works emphasizing themes of transcendentalism, temperance, anti-slavery and humanitarianism, and finally history and nature.

American Poetry, 1609-1870 provides students, scholars and libraries with access to a complete history of North America's major and minor works in poetry, tracing the development of the form and providing a look at changes in American thought and lifestyle throughout the years.

Segment I, 1609-1820: 77 reels
Segment II, 1821-1850: 157 reels
Segment III, 1851-1870: 192 reels