The reviews and readers' comments below refer to the complete electronic book Butterfly Dreams: The Seasons through Haiku and Photographs, including 130 pages with striking nature photographs by Michael Lustbader and accurate, enjoyable translations of traditional and modern Japanese haiku by William J. Higginson. In addition, each pair of image and poem in the book links to comments on the translations and the images by Bill and Michael, respectively, a total of 260 comments, in all. Click here to test-drive the Butterfly Dreams PDF file.

Modern Haiku says:

"Formatted in Adobe PDF, the amazing photographs of professional nature photographer Michael Lustbader are complemented by Japanese masters' haiku as translated by Higginson. Presented one photograph and poem to a page, the effect is striking, but the last part of the book is even more so: each photograph is repeated as a thumbnail and accompanied by a well thought out commentary from Higginson and Lustbader's description of the circumstances surrounding the capture of the picture." —vol. 38 no. 1, Winter-Spring 2007

In Frogpond, Jim Kacian says:

"The future of the book is here now, and it looks beautiful. These exquisite photographs combined with new translations of familiar and less familiar Japanese haiku take full advantage of the way in which this book will be seen: back-lit, color-rich, highly contrasted, isolated on the screen. The result is an entrancing journey through the seasons in the best tradition. Equally to be enjoyed are the notes from both photographer and translator at the end for each 'page'. More than most kinds of books, haiku lends itself to this electronic treatment . . . . This volume will certainly inspire imitators, and if we can aim for the high production values and content of [Butterfly Dreams], we will certainly create a good impression in public for our little art. Highly recommended." —in a forthcoming issue

Paul Muldoon (poetry editor at The New Yorker, among other things) was kind enough to send the postcard at right. (Note, the strange "images" at the bottom right of the picture side were apparently supplied by postal machinery.)

From an e-mail:
Dear Bill,
How kind to send me Butterfly Dreams.
I have spent two sessions with it to date,
marvelling at the synergy between words and images.
Much appreciated,
Beverley George
Editor, Eucalypt

Return to the main Contents page. (Note: One of the pages on this web site containing the photographer's and translator's comments on the images and poems includes instructions on how to receive a coupon good for $5 off the price of Butterfly Dreams! Click here for more information.)