Birds, Beasts and Flowers (1923) was the volume that Lawrence himself described as his best collection of poetry. Composed in various locations during his exile-in Italy, France, Germany and the United States-this long collection occupies a crucial place in the development of his poetry and is that most unusual of creations: a masterpiece of modernist nature writing. This version offers the full text of the first British edition (which included the poems from the short 'Tortoises' volume, unlike the US edition).