With the able hand of editor Firmage, Liveright (the poet's first book
publisher) has brought out the definitive edition of Cummings's poetry.
This volume has been prepared directly from the poet's original
manuscripts, preserving the original typography and format. It includes
all the previously published works, from Tulips (1922) to Etcetera
(1983), as well as 36 uncollected poems that originally appeared in
little magazines or anthologies. These uncollected poems include
Cummings's important translation of Louis Aragon's Le Front Rouge ,
with the French text en face . Firmage has written a brief introductory
note and provided an extremely helpful index of first lines. This
volume is a godsend for specialist and general reader alike, providing
all of Cummings's poetry from the juvenilia of 1904 to the poems
written just before his death in 1962. A mandatory purchase for all
libraries. - Daniel L. Guillory, Millikin Univ., Decatur, Ill.