'One of the paradoxes of any collected poems edition is that it is only complete once in the hands of its readers, yet readers have their own visions of completeness which may outflank those of the editor. In such cases, an editor should immediately and publicly respond, which is my duty here with respect to Francis Webb Collected Poems (UWA Publishing, 2011). I will also touch on reviews and performances of Webbs's work that have proliferated since the book's first launch at the Perth Writer's Festival.' (Author's introduction, p. 132)