Songs of Ourselves: the University of Cambridge International Examinations Anthology of Poetry in English contains work by more than 100 poets from all parts of the English speaking world. -Parts of the book are set for study in CIE's IGCSE, O Level and AS Level and Advanced Level Literature in English syllabuses, but it is designed to have a broader appeal and function, providing verse to enjoy for all readers of all ages and backgrounds. -It is an accessible one-volume introduction to the astonishing range of forms, styles and content of verse written in the English language over more than four centuries. -Famous poets, from Shakespeare to Heaney, mingle with a wide range of lesser known, but no less exciting and original, voices, old and new, often neglected by anthologies. -Poems have been carefully chosen for their universal appeal, avoiding anything very obscure or hard to interpret. Brief glosses are supplied where necessary to help with more difficult words, phrases and references. -The poems are arranged in broad period sections. Within and across these sections loose thematic groupings allow many different connections to be made between the poems, enhancing appreciation and broadening and deepening any reader's experience of poetry.