This collection of Peter Porter's work includes the majority of his poems published between 1961 and 1981, which gained him eight Book of the Year awards from the Poetry Book Society and the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize for 1983. They are grouped chronologically under the titles of his eight books - Once Bitten, Twice Bitten, Poems Ancient and Modern, A Porter Folio, The Last of England, Preaching to the Converted, Living in a Calm Country, The Cost of Seriousness and English Subtitles. In addition, there are some previously uncollected poems, a selection from those which appeared in Penguin Modern Poets No 2and his versions from Latin, After Martial.