In this expanded edition of Randall Jarrell's letters, his widow, Mary, has added letters from Jarrell to Peter Taylor, publication of which was withheld during Taylor's lifetime. Taylor was, along with Robert Lowell, Jarrell's oldest and closest friend, and the inclusion of these incomparable letters adds another dimension of friendship, artistry, and intellect to a collection already noted for its behind-the-scenes glimpse of twentieth-century American literary history in the making.

When Randall Jarrell died in 1965, he left behind a critically acclaimed body of poetry, fiction and literary criticism that has earned him a permanent place in American literature. In these seven essays, his widow writes lovingly and knowingly about the wellsprings and character of his poetry, particularly his work on his last and best book, The Lost World; the creation of his celebrated children's books, The Bat-Poet and The Animal Family; his lifelong friendship with short-story writer Peter Taylor; his dedicated commitment during the last eight years of his life to completing his translation of Goethe's Faust, Part One; and their remarkable and joyous marriage.