An account of the life of Walter de la Mare (1873-1956), poet, novelist, children's author and short story writer, penned by a close aquaintance. While he was well-known in his lifetime, with a wide circle of literary friends, including Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, Katherine Mansfield and Thomas Hardy, he has largely been ignored by recent critics. Few know of his personal life, of his loving but difficult marriage, and his passionate, but platonic affair with Naomi Ryde-Smith, a relationship which plays an influence on his poetry.