This detailed study of Larkin's poetry, the first to take account of recent biographical and archival material, offers new insights into Larkin's development as a poet and a fresh assessment of his achievement. Focusing on Larkin's separately published volumes within the framework of the Collected Poems, this analysis of Larkin's practice and controversial status presents a poet more fundamentally challenging than often supposed. This book will appeal to the specialist, student and general reader alike.