Cor van den Heuvel is the most important anthologist of haiku composed in English in North America. He has published three collections, all simply called "The Haiku Anthology" and all through prominent commercial houses: Doubleday, Simon & Schuster and, now, W. W. Norton. It is a feat no one else has pulled off.
The expanding territory of haiku in English is evident in the growing number of haiku selected. The first edition, published in 1974, had fewer than 300; the second, published in 1986, 700; and the third, 850.
The growth, along with the anthologist's confidence, is also clear in the prefaces. In introducing the first collection, van den Heuvel said: "Until now, the poets represented in this anthology have been largely 'invisible,' " adding "Haiku in English is still in the process of finding its 'way.' "