‘Crammed with unpoetic qualia from the world of City and Guilds. Hancock left school at 16 to take up an apprenticeship. Twenty-odd years ago, the former probation officer Simon Armitage founded the Democratic People's Republic of Poetry. Hancock is a citizen – with a commonsense understanding that technical drawing, Halfords,  The Dukes of Hazzard, Everton Mints and Frank Spencer can hold their own in poetry.’
- Craig Raine. Guardian Books of the Year, 27th November 2010 
 

‘Philip Hancock has a very consistent and distinctive voice. Syntax is clipped, direct – no word wasted, lively and immediate. He has a way of finding an emotional kick in a dowdy context, giving tired phrases a fresh lick of paint. A pleasing, unpretentious emphasis on quality that matches the contexts.’
- Happenstance

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