From limericks to social satire, The Oxford Book of Comic Verse offers a remarkable collection of outstanding light poetry. John Gross has brought together the

Gross has combed the annals of literature in English from the middle ages to the present, gathering poems that provoke laughter, elicit smiles, and even reflect

An unrivalled collection of literary gossip and intimate sidelights on the lives of the authors. This hugely entertaining anthology ranges from Chaucer to the p

This is a unique anthology. Drawing on the full range of English prose, wherever it has been written, it illustrates the growth, development, and resources of t

Gathers witty quotations about nature, religion, fear, hope, fame, wealth, politics, marriage, happiness, knowledge, language, and death