This is the second volume of Oxford's three-volume edition of The Complete Poems of William Barnes. Volume II contains all the poems Barnes wrote in the modified form of the Dorset dialect that he used from the mid 1850s onwards: those in the second and third collections of his Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect (1859 and 1862); those from the first collection (1844), originally written in the broad form of the dialect and here re-written in the modified form); The Song of Solomon in the Dorset dialect (1859); poems published in newspapers and periodicals after 1855 but not included in any of his collections; and posthumously published poems surviving in manuscript. Variants are included from all surviving versions of the poems. There are two introductions, the first general and the second textual. Notes on the poems record their provenance, describe their prosody, and add contextualizing information. The volume concludes with discursive appendices on textual, literary, and dialectological matters, a list of references cited, an annotated glossary, a glossary of place-names occurring in the poems, and an index of titles and first lines.

From the prize-winning poet: “A stunning volume . . . A master of the understatement, Matthews is wryly philosophical and self-deprecating.” —Booklist When William Matthews died, the day after his fifty-fifth birthday, America lost one of its most important poets, one whose humor and wit were balanced by deep emotion, whose off-the-cuff inventiveness belied the acuity of his verse. Drawing from his eleven collections and including twenty-three previously unpublished poems, Search Party is the essential compilation of this beloved poet's work. Edited by his son, Sebastian Matthews, and William Matthews's friend and fellow poet Stanley Plumly (who also introduces the book), Search Party is an excellent introduction to the poet and his glistening riffs on twentieth-century topics from basketball to food to jazz.

William Blake (1757 -1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His so-called prophetic works were said by 20th century critic Northrop Frye to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". William Blake was born on 28 November 1757 at 28 Broad Street (now Broadwick St.) in Soho, London. He was the third of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. Blake's father, James, was a hosier. He attended school only long enough to learn reading and writing, leaving at the age of ten, and was otherwise educated at home by his mother Catherine Blake. Even though the Blakes were English Dissenters, William was baptised on 11 December at St James's Church, Piccadilly, London. The Bible was an early and profound influence on Blake, and remained a source of inspiration throughout his life. In this book: Songs of Innocence, and Songs of Experience INTRODUCTION THE SHEPHERD THE ECHOING GREEN THE LAMB THE LITTLE BLACK BOY THE BLOSSOM THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER THE LITTLE BOY LOST THE LITTLE BOY FOUND LAUGHING SONG A CRADLE SONG THE DIVINE IMAGE HOLY THURSDAY NIGHT SPRING NURSE'S SONG INFANT JOY A DREAM ON ANOTHER'S SORROW SONGS OF EXPERIENCE INTRODUCTION EARTH'S ANSWER THE CLOD AND THE PEBBLE HOLY THURSDAY THE LITTLE GIRL LOST THE LITTLE GIRL FOUND THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER NURSE'S SONG THE SICK ROSE THE FLY THE ANGEL THE TIGER MY PRETTY ROSE TREE AH, SUNFLOWER THE LILY THE GARDEN OF LOVE THE LITTLE VAGABOND LONDON THE HUMAN ABSTRACT INFANT SORROW A POISON TREE A LITTLE BOY LOST A LITTLE GIRL LOST A DIVINE IMAGE A CRADLE SONG THE SCHOOLBOY TO TIRZAH THE VOICE OF THE ANCIENT BARD The book of Thel Poetical sketches To Spring To Summer To Autumn To Winter To the Evening Star To Morning Fair Eleanor There is no natural religion All Religions are One To Nobodaddy Proverbs of Hell Of the gates To the Accuser Who Is The God of This World Visions of the Daughters of Albion The Land of Dreams Satiric verses and epigrams from Blake's Notebook The marriage of Heaven and Hell The Argument THE VOICE OF THE DEVIL A MEMORABLE FANCY PROVERBS OF HELL A MEMORABLE FANCY A MEMORABLE FANCY A MEMORABLE FANCY A MEMORABLE FANCY A SONG OF LIBERTY CHORUS An Island in the Moon America a Prophecy The Book of Urizen The Book of Ahania The Book of Los The Song of Los Songs and Ballads A Cradle Song To my Mirtle Eternity To Nobodaddy Soft Snow Merlins prophecy Day The Fairy The Kid Morning The Birds Dedication to Blake's Illustrations to Blair's Grave, printed To the Queen From Blake's Notebook A Separate Manuscript With Blake's Illustrations to Gray's Poems To Mrs Ann Flaxman The Pickering Manuscript The Golden Net The Mental Traveller The Land of Dreams Mary The Crystal Cabinet The Grey Monk Auguries of Innocence Long John Brown & Little Mary Bell William Bond Mr Blake's Nursery Rhyme