The essays in this two-volume set are organised under categories such as "Poetry Around the World," "Literary Movements," and "Criticism and theory." new overviews were commissioned on topics such as Australian and new Zealand Poetry, Beat Poetry, Canadian Poetry, and Romantic Poets.

Critical Survey of Poetry profiles the lives, achievements, and important works of major poets. Originally published in 1983 and revised in 2993, the latest edition adds 146 poets, covering 843 poets in total. The set includes two volumes of Topical Essays, covering regions, themes, movements, and criticism. All original essays were revised, in many cases by the original contributor. Also, essays have been arranged in several subsets, so that libraries can choose the complete set, or only the titles in which they are interested. Plus, complimentary online access is provided through Salem Literature.
The essays in this two-volume set are organized under categories such as "Poetry Around the World," "Literary Movements," and "Criticism and Theory." New overviews were commissioned on topics such as Austrailian and New Zealand Poetry, Beat Poetry, and Romantic Poets.