Reading Between the Lines
by Neil Leadbeater
56 Poems ~ 85 Pages
Format: 6” x 8 ¼” ~ Perfect Bound
Price: £ 8.50 ($11.75 US)
Publisher: Littoral Press
ISBN: 978-1-912412-26-6
To Order: https://littoralpressuk.jimdofree.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:


William Wordsworth, revered as among England’s greatest poets, is remembered as a
poet who insisted on using the words and speech patterns of ordinary people. One
suspects that Neil Leadbeater would feel uncomfortable being mentioned in the same
breath as Wordsworth. However, it is not a stretch to posit that his latest collection,
Reading Between the Lines will be lauded because, like Wordsworth, Leadbeater writes
with an eye and an ear for his audience and for his surroundings. He writes about
everyday life; his poems touch people where they live. Whether you’re from the city or
farm, in your youth or graying at the temples; there is a poem for you in this book. All
you need to do is “read between the lines.”


ADVANCE PRAISE:


Reading these poems is to take a walk with a friend. Neil Leadbeater covers town and
country sharing tranquil places as well as those with industrial roots. His poems travel
from jukeboxes to willows. Always there is wit, delight and craft. Humour is often
combined with surreal flights of fancy as in his ‘Vision Express.’ Leadbeater’s multi-
layered poems carry knowledge lightly, whether the topic is music, botany, archaeology
or architecture. His descriptions are fresh—marsh marigolds are described as google-eyed
as drunkards. Each section can be absorbed in a sitting, like a short film. In this collec-
tion you will find a writer who is confident in his craft and whose use of language is
luscious.
—Finola Scott, author of Much Left Unsaid, (Red Squirrel Press, 2019).

Neil Leadbeater writes with understated precision and elegance. His poems are observa-
tional, lyrical … with undercurrents of emotion, intelligence and delight.
—Carol Thistlethwaite, author of From the Field Book (BeWrite Books,2008).

When I first viewed the cover image on Neil Leadbeater’s new collection Reading Be-
tween the Lines, my eyes filled with delight. The cute and colorful puffin adorning grey
rocks served as a harbinger of all the linguistic gems waiting inside. From nostalgia in
the 1960s to scenes of inland farm country to harmonious musical interludes … this book
is a “must have” on the poetry shelves of readers in both the UK and the US.
—Michael Escoubas, author of Images: A Collection of Ekphrastic poetry.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Neil Leadbeater is an author, essayist, poet and critic living in Edinburgh, Scotland. His
short stories, articles and poems have been published widely in anthologies and journals
both at home and abroad. His publications include Hoarding Conkers at Hailes Abbey
(Littoral Press, 2011); Librettos for the Black Madonna (White Adder Press, 2011); The
Worcester Fragments (Original Plus, 2013); The Loveliest Vein of Our Lives (Poetry
Space, 2014); Finding the River Horse (Littoral Press, 2017); Punching Cork Stoppers
(Original Plus, 2018) River Hoard (Cyberwit.net, Allarhabad, India, 2019); and Penn
Fields (Littoral Press, 2019). His work has been translated into several languages. He is a
regular reviewer for several journals including The Halo-Halo Review (USA); Quill and
Parchment (USA); Contemporary Literary Review India (India), THE POET (Bahrain /
UK) and Write Out Loud (UK).


FROM THE BOOK:


In the Sixties
by Neil Leadbeater

we wondered if the Shirelles
would still love us tomorrow
whether Del Shannon
would really run away
and all the time
Mr Norwood was labouring the point
about quadratic equations
chalking up his frustration on the board
because he knew
that none of us could give a monkey’s
being far more interested
in girls, girls, girls
music, music, music
eight days a week

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