Cross of Snow

“Inspired … superbly sympathetic … Longfellow is the perfect poet for our current moment … Basbanes writes about him with generosity, gentleness, and grace.”–Christoph Irmscher, Wall Street Journal

“[Basbanes] seems to know everything there is to know about Longfellow … [he] is a painstaking researcher, the kind who turns every page, as Robert Caro would say, and he has benefited from access to lots of material previously unavailable … What [Longfellow] wanted was to be popular, to be read and understood by everyone, and he achieved that more than any American writer before or since. He was exactly the poet he wanted to be.”–Charles McGrath, The New York Times

“A valuable reassessment … comprehensive, affectionate, and astute … A revelatory exploration of Longfellow’s life and art and how he became a ‘dominant force in American Letters.'”–Kirkus (starred review)

“A sheer joy to read … Basbanes has done the great American poet a great service … essential.”–Library Journal (starred review)

“Excellent … captivating … illuminating.”–Publishers Weekly (“best books” forecast)

“Thoughtful, investigative … Basbanes’s fresh portrait should restore deserved respect for and interest in once-ubiquitous Longfellow.”–Booklist (starred review)

“Basbanes tells the tale with diligence [and] affection.”–James Marcus, The New Yorker

“[To know] Longfellow’s life and milieu, Basbanes is definitely your man.”–Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“Marvelous … captures the full scope of Longfellow’s life.”–National Book Review