The Second Edition of Historiopticon brings minor changes to this epic sweep across 500 years of American and pre-American history. Opening with 1-2 poems per decade from the 1500s to 2010s, the book takes an accessible "You Are There" approach to American history. Be with Coronado's entourage at Christmastime 1540. Experience the fear in Salem, Massachusetts at the time of the witchcraft trials. Get introspective with Clara Barton as she dedicates a national cemetery at Andersonville, Georgia in 1865. Experience joy, too - the 14-year-old boy in Rigby, Idaho, as he comes up with the brainstorm that leads him to the invention of electronic television. The humorous "The Ancients Attend a Poetry Slam," where Zeus complains about the price of drinks, Medusa and Apollo compete for single men, and Diana just wants to take the chariot and go home. Messineo is among the 20 longest-serving literary magazine publishers and poetry editors in America, and his eighth book is highly unusual: a newly published book of new material exceeding 300 pages in length, AND with a 40-page About the Poems section in back, including references to books, websites, even YouTube videos where you can learn more about the actual events that inspired each poem. Focusing on the unwritten and underwritten histories of women, African-Americans, gay men, lesbians, and others, you won't look at history the same way after reading Historiopticon.