Former poet laureate Donald Hall selects his essential work from a moving and brilliant life in poetry.

&#8220When I was twelve I wrote my first poem, and by fourteen I decided that’s what I’d do my whole life. I don’t regret it.&#8221 — from the afterword by Donald Hall

Donald Hall was an American master, one of the nation’s most beloved and accomplished poets. Here, having taken stock of the body of his work—rigorous, gorgeous verse that is the result of seventy years of &#8220ambition and pleasure&#8221—he strips it down.

The Selected Poems of Donald Hall reflects the poet’s handpicked, concise selection, showcasing work rich with humor and Eros and &#8220a kind of simplicity that succeeds in engaging the reader in the first few lines&#8221 (Billy Collins).

From the enduring &#8220My Son My Executioner&#8221 to &#8220Names of Horses&#8221 to &#8220Without,&#8221 Donald Hall’s best poems deliver &#8220a banquet in the mouth&#8221 (Charles Simic) and an &#8220aching elegance&#8221 (Baltimore Sun). For the first-time reader or an old friend, these are, above all others, the poems to read, reread, and remember.