The Weight of Numbers 

Robert Lowell wrote of Judith Baumel’s poetry, “She has a nervous, distinguished style and a great fluency in saying complicated things.” Winner of the 1987 Walt Whitman Award for a first book, The Weight of Numbers reconciles visions of poetry and science with a lyrical and moving exploration of the universe, of the way things work. Like a scientist, Baumel pursues a “particular understanding” and a “peculiar knowledge.” She finds them in physics, geology, and mathematics, as well as in love, travel, art, and urban landscapes. Baumel uses tradition forms and free verse with a skill that marks this volume of diverse and bold poems with a consistent sensibility and a personal, striking new voice.