Although Extra Innings is sub-titled "New Poems," the reader familiar with Souster's work will not find in this collection much that is "new" in subject-matter and in style. Few, however, will be disappointed by this. Souster's greatest strength is his ability to go on finding, in his own life and in the ordinary life around him, materials for poetry. This unforced consistency deserves our respect, as does Souster's obvious sympathy for the victims of cruelty and misfortune and, most particularly, of the pervasive indifference that marks urban life. Concern and compassion are as evident in this collection as they have been in his previous volumes, and are, as usual, plainly and directly expressed.

While Souster's sense of values is impressive, many of his poems are not. The materials drawn from ordinary life are often trivial, the directly-stated feelings are seldom examined, and the colloquial style sinks at times...