Hi Janice

Thanks for the note re Lumsden. Of course, yes, the book contains a list of acknowledgements which is expected for any anthology or individual poet's collection. That being so, I think to list the mag that the poem appeared in under each poem is a bit silly. In fact, when I first noticed those notations below each poem, I initially thought the poem might be an excerpt from a longer work rather than the name of the periodical where the poem appeared.

Best regards

Chris

Chris, I hope this isn't diverting the thread, but speaking only for myself, I find it advantageous to have the source journal listed on the same page as the poem. (It's the same layout in the American versions.) It saves me having to keep referring to another page at the back of the book. The reader who is also a poet might think, hmm, so XXZ-journal takes prose poems do they, or hmm, so ZZX-journal would print something this surreal, maybe I should have a shot at that editor and see what happens. Besides which it can't be wrong to give the poetry magazines that kind of exposure. I think the hard-working editors deserve to be noticed too.

I'm sure you agree that there is no one-stop anthology. Serious writers have a lot of them. I think it is interesting to compare--across eras, across national borders, across trends. I view an anthology as I would a textbook. But I'm a little weird about learning; others might just wish to lie back and enjoy. Alternatively, sit up muttering to their spouse who is trying to listen to a recording of La Boheme or a football match, "My god, just listen to this."

Duncan, thanks for the link to the review. I don't have the 2011 one, in fact I only have a few BAP, bought on a whim when I had sufficient ready cash.