Salter's collection, 1988 winner of the Lamont Prize in poetry, harks back to an earlier era and to an earlier style of poetry. Like Elizabeth Bishop, Salter offers a voice that is relaxed, accessible; the poems contain regular stanzas and frequent rhymes. Her open chattiness in the midst of careful description (for example, of netsuke nut carvings) make the poems read like letters from a friend. These poems about families, friendship, and the passage of time are bittersweet; several focus on a death or irrevocable loss (even if only of a chalk picture in the rain), yet they are upbeat. All the poems are well crafted; and a few are both delicate and profound.

• Cristanne Miller, Pomona Coll., Claremont, Cal.