Basho stands today as Japans most renowned writer, and one of the most revered. Wherever Japanese literature, poetry or Zen are studied, his <em>oeuvre</em> carries weight. Every new student of haiku quickly learns that Basho was the greatest of the Old Japanese Masters.<br><br>Yet despite his stature, Bashos complete haiku have not been collected into a single volume. Until now.<br><br>To render the writers full body of work into English, Jane Reichhold, an American haiku poet and translator, dedicated over ten years of work. In <em>Basho: The Complete Haiku</em>, she accomplishes the feat with distinction. Dividing his creative output into seven periods of development, Reichhold frames each period with a decisive biographical sketch of the poets travels, creative influences and personal triumphs and defeats. Scrupulously annotated notes accompany each poem; and a glossary and two indexes fill out the volume. <br><br>Reichhold notes that, Basho was a genius with words. He obsessively sought out the right word for each phrase of the succinct seventeen-syllable haiku, seeking the very essence of experience and expression. With equal dedication, Reichhold sought the ideal translations. As a result, <em>Basho: The</em> <em>Complete Haiku</em> is likely to become the essential work on this brilliant poet and will stand as the most authoritative book on the subject for many years to come. Original sumi-e ink drawings by artist Shiro Tsujimura complement the haiku throughout the book.