A lovingly crafted insight into one of the greatest of musical minds. Extensive excerpts from letters, postcards, and notebooks yields a startling account of Scriabins progression from child prodigy to poet, philosopher, and composer. However this is not just a biography, it's presentation is akin to a Scriabin Sonata, with structure yet diversity and surprise. A joy for all music lovers and a must for Scriabin fans.

Mr. Bower's biography of Scriabin is more than a biography. It is at the same another window into the life of the more priviledged classes of prerevolutionary Russia before WWI...a virtual syllabus of names and personalities to be investigated in further readings. It is a lively illustration of a lost culture, a worthwhile addition to the cultural picture painted in Massey's THE FIREBIRD.

Whether a listener or performer of Scriabin's music, this book is by far the best and most detailed account of his life AND times. Faubion Bowers has left no fact uncovered

Despite a misleading definition of haiku on the back of this book (continued in the introduction), and despite the tendency of Dover Thrift Editions to use the worst possible translations for other books they have published, this is an authoritative and valuable collection which offers translations of quite a few works otherwise difficult to find. One of the most valuable elements of the book is its printing of multiple translations of one poem -- while some of the translations (particularly from the early part of the 20th century) are execrable, it is fascinating and instructive to see how various poems have been approached.

This book is a great addition to any library, but don't let it be your only haiku book -- be sure to read William Higginson's "Haiku Handbook" as well as "The Essential Haiku" edited by Robert Hass and "The Haiku Anthology" edited by Cor van den Heuvel.

This volume has several characteristics to recommend it: (1) it provides a transliteration of the Japanese to give the reader a sense of the sound of haiku (2) several times it provides multiple translations of a haiku, giving the reader a sense of the different approaches to translation (3) it provides a collection that is a cross-section of haiku throughout its Japanese history rather than concentrating on the best known.

It has some negatives - too many footnotes that could have been handled in a less intrusive manner such as who is the student of whom or what is the best known haiku of the author. The willingness to use footnotes allows the editor to direct the reader's response in a positive way.

If you have any interest in haiku, you will want this volume in your collection.

I really enjoyed reading this book because I love the beauty and simplicity of haiku poetry. Although this is a relatively thin book, it contains very resourceful and detailed information about the haiku poets and thier inspirations. I really appreciate the author's acknowlegement of the female haiku poets, in which most became buddist nuns, proving that women were just as an important part of the haiku scene as the men. In conclusion, this book is a pleasure for the senses and a must for anyone's library.