American Poetry 1600-1900 is a collection of 1,200 books and anthologies of early American poetry providing access to 40,000 poems of American writers from the 17th to the early 20th century. This database contains the works of all major American poets, including Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Phillis Wheatley, Walt Whitman, and John Greenleaf Whittier. It also covers many less familiar names.

An eminent editorial advisory board selected the authors and editions for inclusion in American Poetry. It used as its principal bibliographic source, the Bibliography of American Literature, Yale University Press, 1955-1991, and supplemented this with additional poets to provide a more thorough and rounded collection. The complete text of each poem is included. Any accompanying text written by the original author and forming an integral part of the work, such as notes, dedications, and prefaces to individual poems, is also generally included.

For modern American poetry, see 20th Century American Poetry.