In this series we look at individual poets who have shaped and influenced their craft and cement their place in our heritage. In this volume, the second of three, we look at further poetical works of the eminent English writer and poet William Makepeace Thackeray. The great author of Vanity Fair and The Luck of Barry Lyndon was born in India in 1811. At age 5 his father died and his mother sent him back to England. His education was of the best but he himself seemed unable to apply his talents to a rigorous work ethic. After a few years of marriage his wife began to suffer from depression and over the years became detached from reality. He himself suffered from ill health later in his life and the one pursuit that kept him moving forward was that of writing and in his life time he was placed second only to Dickens. High praise indeed. In this volume, the first of three, we take in his poetical works. Many novelists consider themselves to be poets first and foremost. In reading these poems it's easy to consider Thackeray as such. His poems range from playful to serious and all manner of emotions and themes in between. In the end his worth as a poet is self-evident.