A History of American Poetry presents a comprehensive exploration of the development of American poetic traditions from their pre-Columbian origins to the present day. * Offers a detailed and accessible account of the entire range of American poetry * Situates the story of American poetry within crucial social and historical contexts, and places individual poets and poems in the relevant intertextual contexts * Explores and interprets American poetry in terms of the international positioning and multicultural character of the United States * Provides readers with a means to understand the individual works and personalities that helped to shape one of the most significant bodies of literature of the past few centuries.