Thirty years of writing by New Zealander Bill Manhire is brought together, encompassing his early love poems, Anglo-Saxon England and recent reflections on Antarctica.

Containing select works from eight previous collections, this work covers the expanse of Bill Manhire's distinguished career in poetry. Obsessed with barren landscapes, Manhire writes in twisting, threatening stanzas and syntax. Manhire's experience with hands-on work in the field lends to his poetry's brash, potent style. His travels to the South Pole and the Norse Sagas drive his work as he continues to be an explorer of language.