The English language is rich in poetry; yet how many people are aware that many of our stock phrases and familiar sayings have their origins as lines of poetry?

Ink-stained poet Jamie Grant set out to uncover a selection of these enduring lines in the works of English-language poets all the way from Chaucer and Shakespeare up to the present day. Some of the lines are well known; others should be; and others again might be enjoyable surprises.

These lines, and the quirky biographical and critical comments that accompany them, are an invitation to readers, from the well versed to the merely curious, to rediscover the pleasure of reading poetry, and to look at 100 of the world’s best poets from a unique perspective.