Shakespeare's superb narrative poems and sonnets give us the most direct connection we possess to the movements of reflection and emotion in our greatest writer. In themselves, they are essential to our legacy as thinking and feeling people; as products of Shakespeare's mind, they provide endlessly illuminating evidence about the person who occupies the center of our literary civilization. The Everyman's Library Pocket Poets hardcover series is popular for its compact size and reasonable price which does not compromise content. Poems: Shakespeare contains selections from Shakespeare's work, including his sonnets, his narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, songs and speeches, and an index of first lines.