content: ...so begins beat poetry's most enduring classic (37 printings and counting!), an encyclical off-the-cuff fusion of hyperpersonal and universal, timeless themes: art, ethics, lust, and beauty. More in-line with the literary tradition of the English language, Lawrence Ferlinghetti thankfully lacks Ginsberg's heavy-handedness and Kerouac's understated moodiness -- there is something buoyant even in Ferlinghetti's most wrenching laments; we always seem to learn something from him (and if we don't, he's willing to laugh it all away with us). Ferlinghetti's knowledge of art and history (and his ability to tie them into his themes), as well as an unusual matter-of-fact (often in medias res) presentation lends an aura of significance to what could otherwise be random musings. Lawrence is the master...if you don't have this book, it's worth the seven bucks (and its weight in gold).--Justin Laird Weaver <uweavj02@umail.ucsb.edu>