Louise Harding

I borrowed "The Collected Poems of Andrew Young" (Rupert Hart-Davis, 1960)from a library in the late nineteen sixties. Young's poetry impressed me then as it does now, so I recently bought a second hand hardback copy before it becomes too difficult to find. Young shares with the reader his observations and feeling for the cycle of life and death and movement and change that goes on around him. Poems such as "The Old Tree" (page 37), beautifully illustrated by Joan Hassall, and "The Tree" (page 91) are only two examples. I should like to also mention "At Formby" (page 190) as I am familiar with the area. There are many poems about flora, fauna and the elements by Young, but I like the simplicity of "Thistledown" (page 90), and remember it whenever I see these floating downy seeds. I have always enjoyed reading and although I like other poets' work just as much, I feel thankful for having something special in "The Collected Poems of Andrew Young" on my bookshelf.