The Gates of Light is a substantial collection of poems written since 2009 by James Aitchison, author of New Guide to Poetry and Poetics (Rodopi Editions, 2013), The Golden Harvester: the Vision of Edwin Muir (Aberdeen University Press, 1988) and The Cassell Dictionary of English Grammar (Cassell, 1996), as well as five previous poetry collections. James Aitchison s vigorous poetic gifts light upon trees, birds and wild animals with strong, unsentimental feeling and a beautifully scientific veracity; his poems pinpoint social ills, confront searing memories, and skilfully portray the challenges of old age, giving rueful, gracious thanks to an enduring love. "