THE COMPANION volumes to this new collection — <i>Poem a Day: Volume 1</i> and <i>Poem a Day: Volume 2</i> — have together sold nearly a hundred thousand copies. They are a word-of-mouth sensation among those who want poetry to be a greater presence in their lives, and perennial gift-giving favorites. Like its predecessors, <i>Poem a Day: Volume 3</i> offers a verse for each day of the year (including February 29) along with brief, often amusing, always interesting anecdotes about the poets and their poems. The original <i>Poem a Day</i> was the brainchild of Englishman Nicholas Albery, a colorful and charismatic figure whose interests ranged from social inventions to a greener environment. He had already commenced work on this volume when he died tragically in a car crash. A foundation was created in his memory, and his friends and colleagues at the Nicholas Albery Foundation completed the work.