How are we to regard William Morris? As a brilliant designer who wasted time dabbling in other subjects? As first and foremost a poet? As a political thinker? Or as a successful blend of all these - the last 'universal man' in the Renaissance tradition? Certainly no one label is adequate for Morris. This selection shows the full range and diversity of his interests - literary, artistic, social, and political. His vitality as a writer emerges throughout, whether he is discussing art or social reform. News from Nowhere, the clearest statement of Morris's vision of the Good Life in Utopian terms, takes its place among more ephemeral letters and pamphlets. Morris's poetry is also represented. Finally, a fully illustrated supplement, prepared by Graeme Shankland, presents Morris the designer, with examples of his tapestries, carpets, wallpaper, and furniture.