Noel Cowards' lyrics from his musicals are well known in the English speaking world and his phrases are now part of everyday English speech. Barry Day has collected here the definitive edition of Coward's verse including all the work in the three-volumes published in Coward's lifetime plus rare & previously unpublished material Coward sent to family and friends. 'Deidre' by his poetic persona Crispin Pither (part of his satirical "cod-pieces") is a hidden classic to this reviewer, showing he could ape a style as & when he wanted in a sublime yet hilarious manner: bit.ly/MQ2sFr .

He also bares himself in these works too: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/09/saturday-poem-noel-coward. A must-read for all Coward fans but criminally expensive at £30 (10p a page!).