The lyric poems of Horace and Housman are two enigmatic bodies of work that have much in common, and a close reading of each poet's writings can illuminate the other's to a much greater extent than has been generally appreciated. This is the first book to provide a detailed, critical comparison between these two poets, and also the first to make use of Housman's unpublished lectures on Horace. Concentrating on the themes of sexuality, pessimism, religion, politics, integrity, form and content, Richard Gaskin offers an insightful examination of Housman's scholarly treatment of Horace and his general approach to literary criticism.