This pioneering study did much to rehabilitate Erza Pound's reputation after a long period of critical hostility and neglect. Published in 1951, it was the first comprehensive examination of the Cantos and other major works that would strongly influence the course of contemporary poetry.
Hugh Kenner, perhaps the preeminent authority on Pound, has written a retrospective preface for the reissue of his famous book, long out of print. James Laughlin, in his foreword, writes that The Poetry of Erza Pound "turned the tide" not only for its subject but also for his company, New Directions, which first published it in America.