The first of the 33 poems and sequences reprinted here was written in 1981, the latest in 2014 - a time-lapse of thirty-three years. As Paula Green put it in 99 Ways into NZ Poetry: "Jack Ross writes poetry like an inquisitive magpie, a scholar, a linguist and a hot-air balloonist ... The end result, in contrast to some experimental work, promotes heart as much as it does cerebral talk."
A Clearer View of the Hinterland is Jack Ross's fifth full-length poetry collection, and his most substantial to date. It reprints four complete poetry chapbooks, as well as including extracts from numerous others. The poems on offer here include love lyrics, experimental texts, and translations from a variety of languages.