A Few of Her Secrets is George Bradley's first collection of poems in ten years, and Bradley's many admirers will be sure to think that it was well worth the wait. The collection's high-spirited and adroit poems aim to entertain in the best sense of the word, and they range widely in subject and tone. The book includes amused and occasionally caustic observations regarding America's "culture wars"; enthusiastic and witty renderings of Italian food recipes; and heartfelt yet unsentimental meditations occasioned by the deaths of relatives. As poet and critic Eric Ormsby puts it (see below), "Each of this poet's previous collections has been an event. A Few of Her Secrets may be his finest achievement yet."

George Bradley's A Stroll in the Rain is at once a retrospective volume and a new advance in the career of one of our most accomplished poets. Distilling more than thirty-five years of his work, this volume exhibits a wide variety of styles and forms, ranging from brief lyric to extended verse essay, establishing moods that encompass humor, tenderness, and surprise. The substantial section of new work shows Bradley deepening his exploration of the only two topics finally available to any author: the mystery of human consciousness and the unassimilable fact of death. From agriculture to astrophysics, from New England winters to Tuscan summers, and much else besides, A Stroll in the Rain presents spirited, often witty poetry that is skillful, rich, and fun.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

"An important and elegant history of American poetry -- how it has been written, received, and read over the course of the century. It is a fascinating survey of the shifting tides in this country's literary tastes". -- J. d. McClatchy

"Like most editors the Yale series has had, Auden had no sooner taken the job than he began to worry about the amount of work involved.... He complained vigorously about the introduction requirement he had agreed to only a week before: 'Personally, I am very much against the critical estimate business and would like to see the policy changed. These introductions always sound awful, and the whole idea that a new poet should be introduced by an older one as if he were a debutante or a new face cream, deplorable and false.' The Press held its ground, though. If Benet and MacLeish could do it, so could the new editor. And so, over his objections, Auden was brought to doa task he would accomplish spectacularly well". -- from the IntroductionIn 1919 Yale University Press inaugurated the Yale Series of Younger Poets, designed to "afford a public medium for the work of young men and women who have not vet secured a wide public recognition". This anthology of the longest-running poetry series in the United States tells the story of American poetry in this century. At first a forum for a conservative taste in parochial college verse, the Younger Poets Series soon opened up to unconventional but profound young talents from across the country -- such as James Agee, Muriel Rukeyser, Margaret Walker, William Meredith, Adrienne Rich, John Ashbery John Hollander, James Tate, Carolyn Forche, and Robert Hass. This anthology includes poems from the first book by each ofthe 92 winners of the annual Younger Poets contest.

The selections are accompanied by an introduction by George Bradley, the 1986 winner of the contest. Bradley charts the course of the series under the aegis of such contest judges as Stephen Vincent Benet, W. H. Auden, and James Merrill, lacing his narrative with anecdotes about the judges and winners. He also establishes the series' vital role in the development of American poetry and American publishing. The anthology is divided into two sections: "The Early Years", which briefly presents the first 31 winners of the contest, and "The Modern Series", which gives ample room to display the early work of some of America's finest poets. All poets are introduced by a biographical headnote, and in the second section Bradley has added a brief commentary directing the reader to the salient features of each poet's work.

The winning volume in the 1985 Yales Series of Younger Poets competition is George Bradley's Terms to Be Met. As James Merrill, distinguished poet and judge of the competition, has said: "George Bradley belongs to a tradition of philosophical poets that includes Lucretius and Wallace Stevens. His lines are long, unfreighted, the easier to lift us to high and distant places, and to teach us to listen for 'the sound of the sun.'"