a major event...Forces a reappraisal of what 18th-century poetry is. -John Carey, Sunday Times
   
a major anthology: one of the best that Oxford has ever produced. -James Fenton, The Times
     
the most important anthology in recent years - The Economist
    
indispensable - Kingsley Amis
    
a bold, subtle, endlessly fascinating anthology which challenges the received view of 18th-century verse ... The result is a living text that bustles with many and varied voices, rather than a still-museum of well-known urns. Anyone who cares about poetry should read it. - Tom Paulin, Daily Telegraph
    
brilliant - Notes and Queries
     
fascinating ... The breadth, the scope of this anthology would be difficult to surpass - The Scriblerian
    
Here is a whole bustling world of street ballads, hymns, rhymes, polemics, squibs and jokes, as well as the classics Lonsdale's introduction authoritatively shows how the 18th century structured itself, suppressing some voices in favour of others. This is what a historical anthology ought to be like. - The Observer
    
there is much to be gleaned from the 870 pages of this anthology ... The songs of Sheridan, Congreve, etc., come as gusts of fresh air in a drawing-room. - Irish Times
   
the greatest pleasure in this superb anthology is given by the forgotten poets whom Professor Lonsdale has rescued from oblivion - Charles Osborne, Sunday Telegraph