Edward Thomas was only to discover his talent as a poet a few years before he was killed by a shell in 1917. He was mourned as an essayist, biographer and one of the foremost critics of his time, but his poetic talent was known only to close friends. The turning point appears to have been his introduction to the young American poet Robert Frost in 1913. The friendship which ensued provided the spark to set his genius alight. His long apprenticeship in the literary world had made him a master of the English language, and in poetry he now found a way to express, as he had not been able in prose, his thoughts and his deep love of the countryside. Paradoxically the war brought release from the demand for reviews and commissioned work so that he was free to write as he felt moved. In the short time left to him he wrote 144 poems, of which 80 are included in this volume.