In reviewing Louise Rosenblatt's contribution to the world of literature and human relations, the author has involved himself in the intense experience of reading, re-reading, and "transacting" with "Literature as Exploration," "The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work," "Transactions with Literature: A Fifty-Year Perspective," and "Making Meaning with Texts." While engaged in this intense reading experience, he has been continually reminded of the influence that Louise Rosenblatt and her published works have had upon his life and the lives of so many others. He states that no one can express more clearly than she the impact that a book (or the written word) can have upon its readers. In this essay, the author reflects upon what Louise Rosenblatt has written and what has been written "about" what she has written in order to gain perspective. He also presents his own ideas and understanding of the symbols "reader," "text," and "poem."