Love and Longing: A Collection of Classic Poetry and Prose

"This heady collection features love poems and prose excerpts by writers including Sappho, Shakespeare, Milton, the Brontës, and Wordsworth. Works are loosely arranged according to chapter headings drawn from particular poems, for instance "Love Is a Sickness" (after Samuel Daniel's poem), creating an engaging interchange of images and ideas, regardless of poet or era. As the title suggests, not every poem ends with a happily ever after; a Charlotte Mew poem reads, 'I so liked Spring last year/ Because you were here..../ This year's a different thing,--/ I'll not think of you.' . . . A resonant sampling of both standards and lesser-known gems."— Publishers Weekly

"The selection is brilliant, creating cross-currents, complications, and time travelling coincidences to challenge intelligent readers."— Times Educational Supplement

A collection of classic poetry and prose based on the enduring themes of love and romance, with an introduction by prize-winning children's author Jacqueline Wilson. Includes material from the Romantics, Thomas Hardy, John Milton, Jane Austen, and Emily Brontë as well as Ovid, Catullus, and less well-known authors.

Kate Agnew is a previous chair of the Children's Booksellers Association. She has also contributed to the Cambridge Guide to Children's Books and has edited several children's books.

Jacqueline Wilson , OBE, is an internationally best-selling children's author.