This is something of a miracle: a massive collection of the earliest American English verse that isn't for hyperspecialized graduate students only. Besides hefty helpings of the few figures meagerly represented in general American-lit surveys Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, John Trumbull, Timothy Dwight, Philip Freneau, Phyllis Wheatley here are poems short and often discursively long by dozens of others, most of them obscure to even thoroughgoing, historically minded poetry lovers. Five poets receive first publication ever in this volume, yet they, like the others, are literate, even witty. A few not known as poets are otherwise famous: Captain John Smith, William Bradford, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, Benjamin Franklin. The subject matter isn't all religion and politics. Work, family, leisure, and exceptional events and lives (one man recounts escape from the limited slavery that was indenture) are all written up. And, in regular rhymes and meters, it's all quite readable. Early-American history buffs as much as, if not more than, poetry readers may consider the book a gold mine.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.