During the early years of her literary career Dorothy Parker wrote more than 300 poems and verses for a variety of popular magazines and newspapers. Many of these were collected in three volumes of poetry. It is the remainder, which she failed to collect and whose very existence has been unknown to most people for more than half a century, that comprise this volume. These 122 forgotten pieces display the raw talent and dexterity of America's most renowned cynic. Some are keen-eyed commentaries on urban life, human relationships and popular culture; others are more personal, celebrating her love of animals or scrutinising the perils of passion; nearly all display the distinctive wit, irony and precision that continue to attract succeeding generations of readers. The introduction recounts Parker's career, showing her to be a pioneer in modern English colloquial usage, and offers a compilation of her witticisms and anecdotes.