THE TERRIBLE RAIN, a companion volume to Brian Gardner's anthology of the poetry of the First World War, UP THE LINE TO DEATH (978 0 413 59570 6), has established itself as a classic collection of poetry of the Second World War. From the outbreak of war, through the Blitz, to fighting on land, sea and in the air, the poems mirror each phase of action in every theatre from the front line to the Home Front. An outstanding record of the time, the volume includes poems by W. H. Auden, William Plomer, Edith Sitwell, Louis MacNeice, Stephen Spender, Dylan Thomas, Keith Douglas, Laurie Lee and many others.