His keen grasp of human nature and a unique style of verse made Ogden Nash, in the mid-twentieth century, the most widely read and frequently quoted poet of his time. For years, readers have longed for a biography to match Nash's charm, wit, and good nature; now we have it in Douglas Parker's absorbing and delightful life of the poet. Intelligent, informative, and engaging.... There is no comparable study not only of Nash's life but also of the role that poetry, especially comic verse, played in modern American literary culture.... A story long overdue in the telling. —Dana Gioia

"Parker’s is a useful, highly readable biography of one of America’s best-loved poets." - Publishers Weekly

"Well-researched." - Bloomberg

"Parker's biography may well lead to a new appreciation of Nash…" - Chatham Chronicle

"Explores the complex person behind the deceptively simple verse." - Cape Cod Times

"I've marked page after page to treasure—for the skill of the friendly first-time biographer as well as the delights of the poet." - The Christian Science Monitor

"Admirably concise." - The Wall Street Journal

"Douglas Parker has given us an attractive book about an engaging writer." - The Washington Times

"Capable biography…" - The Instrumentalist

"Parker narrates Nash's accomplishments with careful detail, sprinkling apt verse excerpts throughout to add lyrical detail." - Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie

"Ogden Nash is an irresistible subject for biography. Douglas M. Parker, a former lawyer and public servant, has undertaken the task out of affection and admiration for his subject; his response to Nash is that of an intelligent layman to a unique talent. Without indulging in special pleading for Nash's importance, Parker's Ogden Nash is a temperate and carefully measured account." - Times Literary Supplement

"In the best of Nash we find a haiku of hilarity, a profound explication of the human condition. Parker has given us a levelheaded explanation of where Nash was coming from." - American Spectator

"Parker tells this life story smoothly.... Nash's legion of fans should find themselves satisfied at this total story." - Arkansas Democrat–Gazette

"Parker has done a tremendous service by writing this readable and workmanlike biography–the first biography of Nash, amazingly enough." - Books and Culture

"Douglas M. Parker, a retired Washington, D.C., lawyer, writes a solid biography of Ogden Nash (1902–1971), perhaps America's most beloved versifier.... The author has done himself proud. It wouldn't bother citizens of the country much if more Washington lawyers took to writing biographies." - The Buffalo News

"Parker's finely written biography provides a thorough picture of Nash. The reference section is extensive and impressive. If you are a Nash fan to begin with, you will be more so upon completion of Parker's book." - Charleston Post and Courier

"This biography is a fine and overdue tribute to a good man who wrote very funny and sometimes sad light verse. It is particularly strong on Nash's ventures into musical theatre and his long involvement with the New Yorker." - Literary Review, (Uk)

"Parker's sympathetic appraisal reveals a man of adaptable talents." - The New Yorker

"Douglas M. Parker's biography tells his story with an abundance of detail." - The New York Times

"There seems to be a law of deceptive appearances requiring that anyone who wrote as much and as wittily as Ogden Nash must have been deeply troubled. However, according to Douglas M. Parker's carefully researched and authoritative new biography of the master of light verse, Nash violated that law as cavalierly as he broke the laws of rhyme and prosody. In Odgen Nash Parker shows that Nash was in fact the likable man that his poems suggest. Even when his verses are slightly acerbic, he describes universal experiences that strengthen the bonds of our humanity." - The Seattle Times

"Multi–faceted biography covers all aspects...and is a 'must' for any Nash reader." - Bookwatch

"Affectionately honest." - Upper Cape Codder

"Douglas M. Parker believes that Nash has become too little–known, and he makes a good case." - Light Quarterly

"Richly detailed....[An] affectionate look at Nash's life." - Tri-City Herald

"A fast-paced, readable biography....One of the delights of Parker's book is its reprinting of Nash's pleasure-giving lines." - Magill's Literary Annual

"Really quite dandy to read by the fire whilst nibbling on candy...a good introduction to Nash." - CHOICE

"[An] affectionate look at Nash's life.... Richly detailed with excerpts from family correspondence." - Tri-City Herald

"Worth Reading." - Georgia Review