This is a delightful collection which I enjoy dipping into from time to time. The breadth and excellence of the poetry selected by Joseph Parisi is impressive. I would recommend this to both poetry-lovers and those who are looking for a good place to discover poetry for the first time. ( )

For someone just getting interested in poetry or writing, I'd say this is a great collection to pick up either for yourself or as a gift for a friend. The problem comes in for long-time studiers or readers of poetry--if that's you, chances are that you've read most of the poems in this book, and have copies of many of the poems in other anthologies. I can't fault the book for the collection it's put together, but it seems to me that a new collection of poems should only be put together if there's a need for it as opposed to another book--there wasn't particularly a need for this one. ( )

As soon as the book arrived, I checked to see if one of my favorite poems, "Love Calls Us to the Things of This World," by Richard Wilbur was included, and, by golly, it was! Then I looked for a couple of other favorites, and they too were included. Not only are the poems all "essential" (notice, not necessarily the best) but Parisi's introductions to the poets are almost as appealing in their way as the poems themselves. ( )