Even at the height of William Rose Benét's prominence as a man of letters in the 1930s and 1940s, no one claimed that he was a major poet or would ever be considered one. Praise for Benét tended to emphasize his goodness: the high-minded values of love, spirituality, and patriotism which he espoused in his writing; his generosity as an adviser and critic; his unfailing patience and thoughtfulness as a friend and family man. There was respect, but not great admiration, for his poetry and great fondness for Benét himself among his intimates, his many professional associates, and his extensive reading public.

Benét was born at Fort Hamilton, New York, the son of James Walker Benét, a career army officer whose specialty was ordnance and whose avocation was poetry. "He knew more about English poetry than most poets...