100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

New on the blog! πŸ‡―πŸ‡΅ Japanese Healing Fiction & β˜• The Perfect Winter Reads

A Terrible Beauty Is Born

3.65 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 1,319 ratings, 190 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Terrible Beauty Is Born by W B Yeats explores complex themes through poetry, reflecting on the transformation and upheaval in Ireland around the Easter Rising of 1916. The work captures the poet's personal and national sentiments, intertwining beauty with the chaos and sorrow of political change. Yeats evocatively portrays the rebirth and turmoil of Irish identity, emphasising the multifaceted nature of historical movements and personal sacrifice.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$900
Elsewhere:
$999
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this collection if you appreciate exquisite poetry that captures the complexities of Irish identity, history, and mythology. With themes ranging from nationalism to mysticism, it offers profound insights and vivid imagery, appealing to both fans of classic literature and those interested in cultural heritage.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

'But I, being poor, have only my dreams; / I have spread my dreams under your feet...'

By turns joyful and despairing, some of the twentieth century's greatest verse on fleeting youth, fervent hopes and futile sacrifice.

By turns joyful and despairing, some of the twentieth century's greatest verse on fleeting youth, fervent hopes and futile sacrifice.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946.

A Terrible Beauty Is Born features the powerful lines: 'But I, being poor, have only my dreams; / I have spread my dreams under your feet...'

By turns joyful and despairing, this collection presents some of the twentieth century's greatest verse, exploring themes of fleeting youth, fervent hopes, and futile sacrifice.

Series: Penguin Little Black Classics

View all
  • White Nights
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946 My God! A whole minute of bliss! Is that really so little for the whole of a man's life?
    Paperback
    $1200
    Elsewhere:
    $1299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Letters to a Young Poet
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946 What matters is to live everything. Live the questions for now.
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Communist Manifesto
    Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary. One of 80 Little Black Classics - 80 books at 80 pence each to celebrate Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of the Penguin Classics list - from drama to poetry, from fiction to history, with books taken from around the world...
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Death of Ivan Ilyich
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Launched in 2015, the extraordinarily successful Little Black Classics series has now sold nearly 1 million copies in the UK alone and over 2 million worldwide, making their way into retailers such as Tesco and the series' most popular book. This...
    Paperback
    $800
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Book of Tea
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. "Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle." In this charming book from 1906, Okakura explores Zen, Taoism,...
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • To Be Read at Dusk
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. The monstrous thought came into my mind as I perused the fixed eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a spirit, not a man.
    Paperback
    $999
    Backorder
    Ships mid August
  • A Nervous Breakdown
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946 \"I did have hallucinations, but did they harm anyone? Who did they harm, that's what I'd like to know!'
    Paperback
    $999
    Backorder
    Ships mid August
  • Why I Am so Clever
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Why I Am so Clever Why do I know a few more things? Why am I so clever altogether?
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Matilda
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Matilda by Mary Shelley is a compelling and haunting tale of forbidden emotions and tragic destinies. "I gained his secret and we were both lost for ever." This evocative narrative follows the tumultuous life of Matilda, delving into themes of isolation...
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Anecdotes of the Cynics
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Anecdotes of the Cynics It's you who are the dogs... These tales capture the wit and wisdom of the Cynics, exploring their unique philosophical perspectives through engaging anecdotes.
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The World is Full of Foolish Men
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. The pleasure is twice as sweet When you cheat a cheat. The World is Full of Foolish Men by Jean de la Fontaine captures the essence of these timeless words, enticing readers into a world of wit and wisdom.
    Paperback
    $999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Modern Detective
    46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946 He is fond of enigmas, of conundrums, hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions of each a degree of acumen which appears to the ordinary apprehension praeternatural.
    Paperback
    $900
    Elsewhere:
    $999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241251515

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 March 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 5.0mm

Width: 110.0mm

Height: 160.0mm

Weight: 55g

Pages: 64

About the Author

W B Yeats (1865 - 1939) is one of the great and innovative poets of the twentieth century. Much of his most vigorous verse on love, sex, Irish and international politics, the complexities of the occult and the 'sedentary toil' of poetry was produced in the years between his fiftieth birthday in 1915 and his death in 1939.

Also by W B Yeats

View all
  • Irish Folk and Fairy Tales
    In Irish Folk and Fairy Tales, William Butler Yeats delivers a vast collection of stories, songs, and poetry from his home country and Ireland's historical and legendary past. These writings helped secure Yeats' recognition as a leading proponent of Irish nationalism and cultural independence, and they also helped him spearhead the Irish Literary Revival. Originally published in two separate books...
    Hardback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Sailing to Byzantium
    Sailing to Byzantium by W B Yeats is a part of the collection celebrating 90 classic titles marking 90 years of Penguin Books. Under bare Ben Bulben's head In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid. An ancestor was rector there Long years ago, a church stands near, By the road an ancient cross. No marble, no conventional phrase; On limestone quarried...
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Tower
    A collectible new Penguin Classics seriesβ€”beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. The Tower was W. B. Yeats's first major collection of poetry as Nobel Laureate after receiving the Nobel Prize in 1923. It is considered to be one of his most influential collections. The title refers to Thoor Ballylee Castle, a Norman tower that Yeats purchased in 1917...
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Irish Folk and Fairy Tales
    In this highly giftable volume, the best-loved legends of the Emerald Isle come to life. Discover the magic of Ireland's most treasured stories with Irish Folk and Fairy Tales. William Butler Yeats' charming storytelling style captures the spirit of Ireland's timeless myths and legends. Young and old will love these stories of tricksters and spectres, kings, queens, and princesses, in...
    Hardback
    $5300
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • W. B. Yeats
    In the Poet to Poet series, a contemporary poet advocates a poet of the past or present whom they have particularly admired. By their selection of verses and their critical reactions, the selectors offer intriguing insights into their own work. Here, Seamus Heaney selects W. B. Yeats.
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • W.B. Yeats Selected Poetry
    A stunning new edition with deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers, and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. The poetry of W.B. Yeats is among the most-loved literature of the twentieth century. At times dream-like, at others political, his verse has a rich sense of...
    Hardback
    $1999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • W. B. Yeats
    W. B. Yeats was not only Ireland's greatest poet but one of the most influential voices in world literature in the twentieth century. His extraordinary work, in the words of this volume's editor, Seamus Heaney, encourages us 'to be more resolutely and abundantly alive, whatever the conditions'.
    Hardback
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • W. B. Yeats
    Tread softly because you tread on my dreams is one of the most well-known and repeated lines of poetry ever written. Less haunting, but still so relevant: Life is a long preparation for something that never happens. W. B. Yeats was one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. Winner of a Nobel prize, he was also a political...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5500
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    Available
    Ships in 1 week
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. β€˜A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank β€˜A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them
    Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L. M. Montgomery and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from...
    Hardback
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • To the Women - The New Collection of Wise Words Every Woman Needs
    THE COMPLETELY UPDATED COLLECTION WITH OVER 70 BRAND NEW POEMS, FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE AND WORDS TO LIVE BY 'Amazing . . . Donna's words speak to my heart' Davina McCall To the Women is a celebration of the beauty, strength, and joy of being a woman. A love letter to our deep capacity...
    Hardback
    $2999
    Backorder
    Ships early August
  • Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour
    The creative journey continues with Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour by Keri Smith, the latest and most vibrant edition of the groundbreaking series that redefined journaling. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this edition brings the playful destructiveness of the original to life in dazzling full colour, adding a dynamic new dimension to the beloved prompts. Whether you're a seasoned Wreck-er,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Odyssey
    The Odyssey by Homer is a monumental epic that has enthralled readers for centuries with its rich tapestry of adventure and human struggle. It chronicles the perilous journey of Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, as he strives to return home after the fall of Troy. During this ten-year odyssey, Odysseus confronts myriad dangers, both natural and supernatural, that test...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Iliad
    When Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey appeared in 2017β€”revealing the ancient poem in a contemporary idiom that was "fresh, unpretentious and lean" (Madeline Miller, Washington Post)β€”critics lauded it as "a revelation" (Susan Chira, New York Times) and "a cultural landmark" (Charlotte Higgins, Guardian) that would forever change how Homer is read in English. Now Wilson has returned with an...
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.