Ten years in the making, this is the most significant volume of haiku theory and criticism to emerge in English since R. H. Blyth’s acclaimed 4-volume Haiku. Gilbert has done nothing less than create an entirely new vocabulary for the haiku world to employ in discussing how our poems work, and he has given descriptive categories and explanations for the many interesting kinds of poems that fall outside the juxtaposition/shasei realm. Additionally, Gilbert’s exploration of contemporary Japanese (gendai) haiku offers a perfect foil against which our western tradition might be considered. The result is a challenging and thoughtful critique of what matters in haiku, and why, something every practitioner of haiku certainly has and will continue to consider. Awarded a 2008 Merit Book Award Special Prize for Best Book of Haiku Theory by the Haiku Society of America. Book looks unread with only minor creasing at the edges.