Considered the preeminent verse satirist in English, Alexander Pope (1688-1744) brought wide learning, devastating wit and masterly technique to his poems. Models of clarity and control, they exemplified the classical poetics of the Augustan age.This volume contains a rich selection of Pope’s work, including such well-known poems as the title selection — a philosophical meditation on the nature of the universe and man’s place in it — and "The Rape of the Lock, " a mock-epic of rare charm and skill. Also included are "Ode on Solitude, " "The Dying Christian to His Soul, " "Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady, " "An Essay on Criticism, " "Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog, " "Epistle [IV] to Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington: Of the Use of Riches, " "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot; or, Prologue to the Satires" and more.Taken together, these poems offer an excellent sampling of Pope’s imaginative genius and the felicitous blending of word, idea and image that earned him a place among the leading lights of 18th-century literature.