From falling in love to overcoming adversity, celebrating a newborn or learning to live with dignity, this is a book to give solace, to comfort and console, but also to inspire, to beguile, and to touch the heart. From William Shakespeare to Carol Ann Duffy, our most popular and best-loved poets are gathered here in one essential collection, alongside many lesser-known treasures that are waiting to be discovered. These are poems that delight in everyday beauty, that triumph over misfortune, and that celebrate each and every moment - be it sad or joyful - by reminding us time and again exactly what it is to be human. "A first-rate collection. It is an anthology to rejoice in... The greatest fascination of the book is to have so many poems trying to make one feel better about being alive ... They are filled with a sense of purpose, divine and otherwise.