<p>Aphorisms have been described as ''the obscure hinterland between poetry and prose'' (<i>New Yorker</i>) ¿ short pithy statements that capture the essence of the human condition in all its shades. <br><br>In this <i>New and Selected</i>, master of the form Don Paterson brings the best examples from his two previous volumes together with ingenious new material relevant to today''s world. Moving and mischievous, canny and profound ¿ these wide-ranging observations of no more than one or two lines demonstrate that the aphorism is the perfect form for our times. <br><br><i> Consciousness is the turn the universe makes to hasten its own end.<br> * <br> Agnosticism is indulged only by those who have never suffered belief.<br> *<br> Poet: someone in the aphorism business for the money.</i></p>