When I saw this book, I had to ask myself whether I would have bought it had it been by someone other than Martin Gardner? And would it be a better book if someone else had written it?

Interesting questions both. This is, of course, not the first volume of annotations by Gardner; The Annotated Alice was and is a much-beloved example of Gardner's skills as a commentator. But that book was also a better fit for Gardner, the much-loved creator of Scientific American's Mathematical Recreations column. To annotate Lewis Carroll requires a knowledge of Charles Dodgson's mathematical gifts as well as of his approach to nonsense.

No such special skills are required here; this is simply an anthology of once-well-known poems. So there is no need for the "Gardner touch." And, indeed, it is probably a weaker book than the Annotated Alice or the Annotated Hunting of the Snark. In the commentary, Gardner often admits to being, in effect, stumped. Probably almost all the information here could be found with a quick Google search.

On the other hand, it's a solid collection of poems, with a useful organization and helpful notes. A brilliant book? No. But a helpful and enjoyable one. ( )