Of the 152 poems included in e. e. cummings' original manuscript for his first poetry collection, Tulips and Chimneys (1923), only 86 were published. 41 of the omitted pieces were published two years later in XLI Poems. Although written at the same time as his previous collection, the poetry demonstrates further evidence of cummings' experimentation in form and style.

Much of the work featured in this volume was designed to shock cummings' readers. The poetry heavily focuses on themes of eroticism and controversy. The collection unironically examines the traditional sonnet and common poetic themes such as romance, death, and nature, while giving the familiar styles a modern twist.

This volume features titles such as:

- 'the sky was'

- 'of my'

- 'when life is quite through with'

- 'This Is The Garden'

Republished in a brand new edition by specialist poetry imprint, Ragged Hand, XLI Poems is not to be missed by collectors of e.e. cummings' work and fans of modernist poetry.