There are many anthologies of love poems, but friendship has proved a more elusive theme. Yet it is no less important. Like the Everyman Love Poems and Erotic Poems, to which it is a companion, the present selection draws on the literature of many periods and languages to illuminate aspects of friendship, ranging from social acquaintance through personal devotion to estrangement and antipathy. The tone ranges from comic to elegiac, and there is something here for everyone. The volume is divided thematically into sections: What are Friends?; The Pleasure of Friendship; Good Neighbours; Social Life; Dumb Chums; Portraits; Poets Together; Strangers; Absent Friends and Looking Back.