Homage to Mistress Bradstreet and Other Poems - John Berryman

Advantages: Spares you the agony and full details of John's illness
Disadvantages: Too "Theatrical" in places , a real "luvvie" book

..., Sheila had a relatively normal upbringing apart from the odd hiccup due to the War. John however had to grow up with the knowledge that his mother had deserted the family and when he tried to find her, she sent him away with a sixpence. John vowed he would never live like this again. The girl as she calls herself, went onto Rada after a varied education; it was her Quaker head mistress that spotted her potential. John mean while was putting his talent on the street and earning a few pennies for his family by comedy acts and impersonations. John's head master knew this boy was destined for more than cotton spinning in Manchester and pushed him into the classics. This was his forte and he progressed from strength to strength. As the book progresses both John and Sheila venture into stage work as this seems to be their forte and you... Read review

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Advantages: Stong visual images
Disadvantages: can take a fair bit of getting into

...but they are great ways of representing concepts. The conceit goes one step further and doesn't mention the object - thus you can have an entire poem talking about a drop of dew on a rose bush and it be faily obvious that the poem is really all about something else altogether. If you want to read Andrew Marvell, it's well worth having a look at him in context - a collection of metaphysical poetry is a really interesting read, especially as these men were not working with any particular reference to each other. Marvell is most famous for the poem "To his Coy Mistress" an appeal to a woman who is reluctant to have sex with him. It is a fantastic piece of seduction; "If we had world enough and time, this coyness lady were no crime" it contains the unforgetable lines "For in the grave the worm will try that long preserved virginity" now there... Read review

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Advantages: Great fun
Disadvantages: None

...Timpson's Other England is subtitled 'a look at the unusual and the definitely odd' and it would be hard (if not actually impossible) to argue that point. Some of the items in this book are definitely ones that will make you go: Gosh! I never knew that! How extraordinary!" The book is published by Jarrold and was published in 1993. Sadly John Timpson died in November 2005. He was most famous for his time on The Today programme on Radio 4. Serving it and its million of listeners well from 1970until 1986. He took to writing books after his official retirement. The book is exceptionally well-planned and designed. It is obvious John Timpson wanted you to visit these very places that he found fascinating so that he could share it with us, his readers The book has a exceptionally well-built index and also a section with maps... Read review

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