Updating and expanding, in eight volumes, the original edition of 1982, this major revision contains a total of 390 articles: 368 on individual poets, plus 22 comprehensive "overview" essays. Twenty- seven of the articles are completely new entries on poets who have come to be regarded as important figures. An additional 44 articles have been entirely rewritten to replace earlier entries which had fallen substantially out of date since the original edition. Ninety- one more articles have been substantially revised to reflect the current status of the poets' development and opus (or to reflect the poets' death during the past decade). All articles--whether revised, new, or essentially the same--now conclude with new, up-to-date, annotated secondary bibliographies. In the final volume are 15 overview essays that appeared in the original edition, covering chronological periods and critical and cultural areas. Five new essays address areas that have come into their own in the past decade: Asian- American poetry, Chicano poetry, Native American poetry, Commonwealth poetry, and feminist criticism. Finally, two articles that close the essay section elucidate the terminology of poetry and the technicalities of scansion. Essential for all college and university libraries, and larger public libraries. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

This major revision of the original edition (Salem Pr., 1982) includes articles on 368 English-language poets and 22 essays on periods and critical approaches. Twenty-seven entries are new, 44 are ``rewritten entirely,'' and dozens of such minor poets as Thomas Bailey Aldrich and Hartley Coleridge have been dropped. The entries average about ten pages each and include sections on principal works, achievements, biography, and analysis. The articles provide more information than those in most encyclopedias yet are short enough to serve immediate reference needs. Although most entries have not been changed from the earlier edition, all the bibliographies have been updated and, better yet, annotations have been added. The set might have been more accurately entitled Critical Survey of Poets , since its focus is on the poets rather than the specific poems already covered in Magill's Masterplots II: Poetry Series ( LJ 7/92). Still, this is an excellent revision that should prove very useful to collections serving students of poetry. Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mich. Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Ten years after its first appearance, Critical Survey of Poetry has been issued in a revised edition that adds much new material, while retaining the format and content that have made this such a useful reference work. There are now 390 articles: 368 on individual poets plus 22 ^D["overview^D]" essays. This revised edition contains all the articles on English-language poets that appeared in the Supplement of 1987. A quarter of the articles have been revised, of which 44 were entirely rewritten, and there are 27 completely new articles on poets who have become important figures since the 1st edition. Bibliographies for all articles have been updated to reflect recent scholarship and new publications by living poets. Each article is in six sections: (1) the principal publications; (2) a survey of the poet's writings in other literary forms; (3) achievements; (4) biography; (5) analysis of individual works; and (6) a bibliography of nonpoetic publications and of secondary sources (now annotated). The aim of this series, to elucidate poetry for the modern undergraduate, is admirably fulfilled. The analyses, while necessarily somewhat superficial, are intelligent and balanced and place the poem in the context not only of the poet's works, but of his or her age and culture. Also useful are frequent references to standard critical interpretations. A significant revision of the 1st edition, this work belongs in every undergraduate library. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.