Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle... and other Modern Verse

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle... and other Modern Verse is a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award-winning^[1] anthology of poetry edited by Stephen Dunning, Edward Lueders and Hugh Smith. Compiled in an effort to present modern poetry in a way that would appeal to the young, Watermelon Pickle was long a standard in high school curricula,^[2] and has been described as a classic.^[3]

The anthology consists of 114 poems, including ones by Ezra Pound, Edna St. Vincent Millay and e. e. cummings, but also ones by lesser-known poets. It is particularly noted for "espous[ing] no specific morality, no politesse, and no didacticism", as well as for giving a relatively modern presentation with photographs and modern typefaces.^[4] This presentation was in stark contrast to the practices of textbook publishers of the 1960s, which seemingly "cramm[ed] as many problems onto a page as possible".^[5][6]

In 1969, Watermelon Pickle was described by one commentator as having "become one of the more popular high school literature materials".^[7] Another commentator in 1999 called it "[t]he most widely used anthology for young adults ever and still in print".^[8] A 2002 article describes Watermelon Pickle as "establish[ing] a long-overdue niche" for young adult poetry.^[9]

The book is titled after the last poem, "Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend called Felicity" by John Tobias.^[10][11]

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