This anthology is a personal curation and not just a simple collection of poems. Each poem, handpicked by Alexander McCall Smith, leads the reader from one poem to the another. Intimate in tone, the editor shares the pleasure he finds in these poems through short epigraphs written for each piece.

Grouped together in themes, from: Islands, Friendship, Love and Marriage, through to War and Conflict, Secrets, and Joy, this book would make the prefect gift for any occasion. It is a book for readers with a deep love of poetry, as well as those who are looking for the key that will open up the world of poetry.

It includes poetry from: Hugh MacDiarmid – George Mackay Brown – Edwin Muir – Sorley MacLean – Naomi Mitchison – Robert Louis Stevenson – Sir Walter Scott – Nan Shepherd – Iain Crichton Smith – Muriel Spark