Spellbound

No matter how modern or scientifically advanced our societies become, human beings remain perpetually enthralled by the idea of magic, from our daily superstitions to our choices of entertainment. Magic has long been a central subject of poetry, and the poems in this collection are evocative evidence that the poet's art depends on a form of wizardry--the ability to conjure enchantment from a particular combination of words.

Such venerable literary wizards as Shakespeare's Prospero, Tennyson's Merlin, and T. S. Eliot's Mr. Mistofelees make appearances here alongside illusionists and prestidigitators: Kay Ryan's "Houdini," Ted Kooser's "Card Trick," Charles Simic's "My Magician," and Richard Wilbur's "The Mind-Reader." Here is a treasury of poetic spells, charms, and incantations, from Elise Paschen's "Love Spell," Robert Graves's "Love and Black Magic," and Lu Yu's "Pedlar of Spells," to a Cherokee "Spell to Destroy Life." And here are all sorts of sorcerors, conjurers, enchantresses, and witches: Emily Dickinson's "Best Witchcraft is Geometry," Michael Schmidt's "Nine Witches," H. D.'s "Circe," and Miroslav Holub's "Zito the Magician," keeping company with magical poems from cultures around the world.

Everyman's Library's Pocket Poets are pocket-sized hardcovers that feature acid-free cream-colored paper bound in a full-cloth case with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, a silk ribbon marker, a European-style half-round spine, and a full-color illustrated jacket.