The book has an important purpose: to rescue Frost from the negative image that has lingered like a dark storm cloud since Lawrence Thompson's three-volume biography. Frost told Burnshaw, his long-time friend and sometimes editor, 'I'm counting on you to protect me from Larry, ' and Burnshaw's mix of biography and criticism here fulfills Frost's hope. The final two chapters in particular argue for the humane and generous Frost, in contrast to the...