This critical edition establishes a new text of the Collected Poems 1909–1962 , rectifying accidental omissions and errors. As well as the masterpieces, it contains the poems of Eliot's youth which were rediscovered only decades later, others that circulated privately during his lifetime, and love poems from his final years, written for his wife Valerie Eliot. Calling upon Eliot's critical writings, as well as his drafts, letters and other original materials, Christopher Ricks and Jim McCue have provided a commentary which illuminates the imaginative life of each poem.