Two of our foremost poets provide here a lucid, straightforward primer that looks squarely at some of the headaches and mysteries of poetic form: a book for readers who have always felt that an understanding of form (sonnet, ballad, villanelle, sestina, among others) would enhance their appreciation of poetry. Tracing the exuberant history of forms, they devote one chapter to each form, offering explanation, close reading, and a rich selection of examplars that amply demonstrate the power and possibility of that form.