I wanted to read more Basho after reading The Narrow Road to Oku, and this book provides several ways into an understanding of the man, his work, and the culture around him. I particularly enjoyed the explication of the allusions to other literary works in the Notes, and the list of nature-words and their use in defining seasons in the specialized Glossary. I still can't read these poems as if I were versed in Japanese literary traditions, but they have gained additional dimensions in my mind.

Also, after reading this book I was looking at a Japanese print by Hiroshige Ando and realized that what I was seeing was not an actual landscape, but an illustration of a haiku--there were all the autumn flowers growing with careful casualness, and wild geese flying south, with a distant view of Fuji. It was great to feel that little snap of recognition.

I also appreciated the way the translator doesn't add words to explain what's supposed be suggested, as well as the way that a transliteration of the sounds of the words is included. The rhythm of the poems is more clearly heard than seen, so the transliteration is very helpful.