Cicero and others considered the poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus (ca. 84 BC-ca. 54 BC) vulgar, and not only because it sprinkles the Latin meter with idioms from the common language of the people. Besides replacing classical epics with personal themes, his poetry includes explicit sexual references. Still, the Roman poet influenced Horace and Virgil. Skinner (classics, U. of Arizona, Tucson) notes that appreciation of Catullus' entire corpus did not occur until the New Historicism of the 1980s. In 27 new and reprinted essays, international scholars present original readings of his major poems in socio-historical context. They also treat his influences (notably Sappho), teaching Catullus at the high school and college levels, and translation issues. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)