James Merrill has come to be regarded as one of the outstanding American poets of the 20th century with the publication of his Changing Light at Sandover, a grand, narrative poem in its complete form, and From the First Nine, Poems 1946-1976, a full selection from his first nine books of poems. In Late Settings he has produced another book of poems of the greatest distinction. Included in this collection is a set of six poems called "From the Cutting-room Floor." Another amazing long poem "Santorini: Stopping the Leak" (originally published, minus two stanzas, in The New Yorker) is included in its entirety. Merill's works have been honored with several awards: two National Book Awards, the Bollingen Prize in Poetry, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Book Critics Circle Award.