Tim Armstrong has brought together a collection of over 180 poems. Preserving the shape of the poet's career, he presents the poems in the order in which they appeared in the Collected Poems of 1930. He also discusses Hardy's career, his poetics, his use of memory and allusion and examines his position in the context of Victorian debates on aesthetics and belief. He includes many lesser known poems as well as those which have received most critical commentary is included.