Christopher Ricks is a British literary critic and scholar celebrated for his championing of Victorian poetry and his deep engagement with artists like Bob Dylan, whose lyrics he has analyzed extensively. His critical voice is known for its incisiveness when examining writers he deems pretentious, contrasted with a warm appreciation for those he finds humane or humorous. Praised for his 'intent eloquence' and 'unrivalled critical intelligence,' Ricks is recognized as the kind of critic poets aspire to find.
Christopher Ricks's 'Oxford Book of English Verse' -- third in succession, after Arthur Quiller-Couch's original volume (1900) and Helen Gardner's new selection (1972) -- is a treasury from more than seven centuries of the poet's art. Poems that are also translations are included.