William J. Higginson (1938–2008)

Since I was already familiar with haiku when I bought the book, it is hard for me to say how good of an introduction it is for i did not spend much time on the front matter (for which i feel guilty because the author has read my books far more thoroughly and reviewed them) but, when i read the haiku, which always included the original language (just pronunciation for japanese, i still recall my amazement to see how many poems came from Croatia! Since then I have learned that country is also big on go (a board game i enjoy). To me, that was the biggest gift in the book. But, what must be noted is my reason for including "biology" and "botony" in the tags. With this book, Higginson brought more attention than had previously (or since, as far as i know) been brought to bear upon the phenomena that are central to haiku. Higginson understands there is a place for precision in poetry and helps others achieve it. He does not include as much natural history as some large old saijiki in Japan, but he provides more straight science than any I know of in Japanese as well as English. I was told this book went out of print. I wish it would get back in, for it is the classic introduction to the international world of haiku.… (more)

This is an absolutely excellent and very thorough introduction to haiku. Despite it's subtitle, the book really doesn't talk much about writing haiku per se. Rather, the majority of the book is about the history and theory of haiku. No writing exercises. All the same, it's highly-readable and does a great job of presenting both traditional and modern approaches to haiku. The teaching sections are lesson plans _targeted at elementary school age, but the book as a whole is clearly _targeted at adults. The book is full of haiku examples from around the world and has excellent appendices: season words, a glossary of Japanese haiku terms, and a long list of books to refer to.… (more)