The earliest poems in this book date from 1953, when Updike was 21, and the last were written after he turned 60. Over 70 have been published before in book form. Almost all of those published in his five previous collections are included, with some revisions. Arranged in chronological order, the poems constitute, as he says, the thready backside of my life's fading tapestry. A set of notes at the back of the book discusses some of the hidden threads. All the poems echo his recurring notes of confession, nostalgia, anxiety and awe.