Pooch's new book
 

http://www.bmcreview.org/2010/08/20100860.html

Paul Stevens sent me this, and obviously Johns Hopkins has published Aaron's translation of Aratus' Phaenomena. Aaron translated this enormous poem into heroic couplets when he was in grad school, and it's taken a long time to do the scholarly apparatus and line up such a prestigious publisher. The scholar who reviews the book so favorably teaches me a lot about Aratus. Unfortunately he knows nothing about the art of verse translation or the art of medial substitution in iambic pentameter. But that's ok. He really likes Aaron's second book! I can't wait for Aaron's Aeschylus from Johns Hopkins, not to mention his first collection of original verse. Go Aaron!

To lose a few details from the original is easily worth it when the thing reads well. To blow the dust off an old work and make it a present pleasure is quite an accomplishment. Kudos, Aaron!

It should be a lesson to all of us how Aaron just keeps quietly producing excellent work and finding publishers for it. Congratulations, Aaron. And may that book of original poems be a reality very soon.

A model for us all of quiet, skilled professionalism. Great achievement!