A concise history and guide to poetry, with short biographies of approximately 250 poets from Homer to Heaney and Dickinson to Dylan.   Starting with a history of poetry and discussions of poets and their work in the context of their times, and overviews of such topics as verse forms and genres, this book goes on to review an extensive list of individual poets, with biographical information and notes on their best works. In addition, a variety of photos and a glossary are included. A delight for anyone interested in poetry, The Pocket Guide to Poets & Poetry is also useful for those who want to discover new favorites. Those featured include:   Sylvia Plath * Sappho * Geoffrey Chaucer * the Beowulf poet * John Dunne * John Milton * Andrew Marvell * Percy Bysshe Shelley * Edgar Allan Poe * Emily Bronte * Edward Lear * W.B. Yeats * Hilaire Belloc * Marianne Moore * Dylan Thomas * Joseph Brodsky * and many more