An introduction to and advice on book collecting with a glossary of terms and tips on how to identify first editions and estimated values for over 20,000 collectible books published in English (including translations) over the last three centuries-about half are literary titles in the broadest sense (novels, poetry, plays, mysteries, science fiction, and children's books); and the other half are non-fiction (Americana, travel and exploration, finance, cookbooks, color plate, medicine, science, photography, Mormonism, sports, et al).

The decades immediately following World War II saw a remarkable resurgence in American poetry; this descriptive checklist of published bibliographies aims to chart bibliographic access to the period, also sketching its historical evolution and highlighting those poets whose work requires additional bibliographic research.

Essays document the author's theories of poetry, discuss the goals of oral poetry, and analyze brief poems and poetic concepts.