Whether you want to achieve literary immortality or just persuade people of the genius of your thoughts, you don't need to have anything to say – you simply need to say it well.

And for that you need to know the simple tricks of the trade that have been in use from classic poetry to pop lyrics and from the King James Bible to advertising slogans.

Inimitably entertaining, Mark Forsyth explains why you remember lines like 'Tiger, tiger, burning bright' and 'To be or not to be', and shows how you too can become a master of antithesis like Oscar Wilde.

In an age unhealthily obsessed with substance, this is a book on the importance of pure style.