At Heart A Romantic combines the poems of the 2004 pamphlet An Essentially English Voice, the 2005 full collection The History of Civilisation and the 2006 pamphlet At Heart A Romantic by Exeter poet and novelist Andy Botterill in one volume. The poems are in a confessional style and in the vein of the American Beat tradition. They explore themes of reflection, relationships, emotional and spiritual stagnation, lost love, breakup, lifestyle, parenthood, nostalgia, current affairs and social realism. Many appeared in their original format in the small press magazines of both the UK and America at the time of writing, including in Awen, Bard Hair Day, The Black Rose, Carillon, Cauldron, Connections, Dandelion Arts Magazine, Decanto, Feather Books, First Time, Fluvius, Linkway, Never Bury Poetry, Phoenix New Life Poetry, Poetry Cornwall, Poetry Now, Purple Patch, Quantum Leap, and Rubies In the Darkness. All the poems have been updated with revisions and additions for this new collection, which continues the gradual reissue of all Andy Botterill's published poetry. He considers his work to be from the perspective of the outsider, loner or casual observer.