The Mersey Sound: Restored 50th Anniversary Edition

Description

Restored for its 50th year, the anthology that brought poetry down from the shelf and onto the street Since its first publication in 1967 as Penguin Modern Poets no. 10, The Mersey Sound has become an icon of British poetry. Gathering the early, enormously influential work of Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri (The Liverpool Poets), it went on to sell over half a million copies and to become the bestselling poetry anthology of all time. In the course of subsequent editions, old poems were removed and new poems introduced; but now, in time for its 50th anniversary, this volume introduces the restored original selection into Penguin Modern Classics. With its tales of Northern romance, petrol-pump attendants and bus conductors, these are the poems that first spoke so strongly to the real lives behind Beatlemania and the Mersey Beat.

Roger McGough is one of the UK's most celebrated and distinctive poets. He is the author of more than fifty books and has written numerous scripts, including the script for the Beatles' film Yellow Submarine. He is an international ambassador for poetry and in 1997 was awarded an OBE. Adrian Henri, 1932-2000, had a career that spanned everything from artist and poet to teacher, rock and roll performer, playwright and librettist. He lectured in art at both Manchester and Liverpool Colleges of Art. He was president of the Merseyside Arts Association and Liverpool Academy of the Arts in the 1970s and was an honorary professor of the city's John Moores University. His numerous publications include Wish You Were Here and Not Fade Away. Brian Patten is one of the most accessible and popular poets working today. His collections include Grinning Jack (Selected Poems), Love Poems, Storm Damage and Armada. In 2002, Brian Patten accepted The Cholmondeley Award for services to poetry. Together with Roger McGough and the late Adrian Henri, he was honoured with The Freedom of the City of Liverpool.