Throughout the world, many consider T.S. Eliot to be the most important and influential poet of the 20th century, and Four Quartets to be his finest poem and greatest literary achievement. Dove Descending is a journey into the beauties and depths of Eliot's masterpiece written by Thomas Howard, bestselling author, professor and critic.

In this line-by-line commentary, Howard unravels the complexities of the sublime poem with such adept adroitness that even its most difficult passages spring to life. During his many years as a professor of English and Literature, Howard taught this poem often, and developed what he calls a reading approach to its concepts that render their meaning more lucid for the reader. Dove Descending reunites the brilliant insights of a master teacher whose understanding and love of Eliot's writings are shared here for the great benefit of the reader.

Dove Descending is:

• The first in-depth exposition of Eliot's masterwork ever published
• The fruit of Howard's many years of teaching Eliot and his unique understanding of the complexities of the great poem
• A must-have book for fans of T. S Eliot, and anyone who wants to understand his greatest work.

In my own view, this sequence of four poems represents the pinnacle of Eliot's whole work. Four Quartets stands as Eliot's valedictory to the modern world. I would place it, along with Chartres Cathedral, the Divine Comedy, van Eyck's Adoration of the Mystic Lamb and Mozart's Requiem as a major edifice in the history of the Christian West.

ùThomas Howard