"I don't keep a journal, not after the first week," James Merrill asserted in a letter while on a trip around the world. "Letters have got to bear all the burden." A vivacious correspondent, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet wrote candid and engaging missives to friends and family throughout his life. Addressed to such correspondents as Elizabeth Bishop and Frederick Buechner, the hundreds of letters in this annotated collection showcase Merrill's wit and insight as he shares his thoughts about opera, art, cooking, the mysteries of the Ouija board, and his many lovers.