The daughter of one colonial governor and the wife of another, Anne Dudley Bradstreet (1612 72) was also a skilled and accomplished writer, whose collection of poetry, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, was the first volume of original verse written in the colonies. In addition to being America's first poet, she was also, in great likelihood, the first professional woman poet in the English language.
This collection of poetry, selected from a number of her works, discloses the thoughts of a remarkably sensitive and well-educated woman. Exhibiting great range and beauty,...