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This series provides a high-quality selection of early printings of literary works, textual editions, anthologies and literary criticism which are of lasting scholarly interest. Ranging from Old English to Shakespeare to early twentieth-century work from around the world, these books offer a valuable resource for scholars in reception history, textual editing and literary studies.

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451 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Literary Studies

Page 7 of 23

The Brontës Life and Letters
  • Being an Attempt to Present a Full and Final Record of the Lives of the Three Sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë
  • Volume 2
  • Clement King Shorter
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • First published in 1908, this two-volume collection was prepared by journalist, critic and Brontë enthusiast Clement King Shorter (1857–1926), following the appearance of Charlotte Brontë and her Circle (1896) and Charlotte Brontë and her Sisters (1905). Building on the research of Elizabeth Gaskell, the volumes document through correspondence the remarkable lives and literary careers of Charlotte (1816–55), Emily (1818–48) and Anne (1820–49). The use of previously unpublished manuscripts and letters served to broaden significantly the scope of the work. Volume 2 covers the period 1848–55, addressing the deaths of Emily and Anne while offering many small, poignant details of daily life. Charlotte's marriage and final years bring the volume to a close. Presenting a wealth of source material, this collection remains a treasure trove for those seeking to understand how classics of English literature came to be shaped by the world their authors inhabited.

Some Reminiscences
  • Volume 1
  • William Michael Rossetti
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    06 June 2013
    First published in:
    1906
  • William Michael Rossetti (1829–1919) made himself the diarist, chronicler and champion of one of the most creative Victorian families. This two-volume memoir of 1906 provides an unparalleled glimpse into the dynamics of the Rossettis, covering his own childhood and that of his siblings, the genesis of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and friendships with such outstanding figures as Morris, Burne-Jones, Swinburne and the Brownings. In fact, many of the members of the Victorian art and literary world make an appearance at some point in these volumes. But what is so engaging about the work is the way in which William Michael treats these personalities straightforwardly and unpretentiously. Especially fascinating are the observations that deal with intimate family details, his thoughts about brother Dante Gabriel and his attitude to sister Christina as her work developed. Though what he says is not always completely candid, his remarks remain uniquely informed, subtle and telling.

Memoirs of the Life of Charles Macklin, Esq.
  • Principally Compiled from his Own Papers and Memorandums
  • Volume 2
  • James Thomas Kirkman
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    19 September 2013
  • Drawing on his own papers and first published in 1799, this two-volume account traces the colourful life of the actor and playwright Charles Macklin (c.1699–1797). His long career serves as the focal point in a history of the eighteenth-century theatre and its most celebrated performers. Hailed for his enduring interpretation of Shakespeare's Shylock, a role he played for some fifty years, Macklin has been credited with the theatre's move towards realism. His life was just as dramatic offstage, marked as it was by a series of controversies and fierce rivalries. In 1735 he was convicted of the manslaughter of a fellow actor in a quarrel over a wig, and in 1775 he successfully pressed charges of conspiracy against theatregoers who had rioted during his performances. Volume 2 covers the latter part of Macklin's career up to his death. Also included is a selection of letters written to his son.

The Journal of Sir Walter Scott
  • From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford
  • Volume 2
  • Walter Scott
  • Edited by David Douglas
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • By the close of the nineteenth century, the works of Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) could be found on the bookshelves of every respectable Victorian. Public interest was such that, nearly sixty years after his death, there remained considerable demand for new insights into the man and his milieu. First published in 1890, his two-volume journal for the period 1825–32 immediately attracted press attention. One review observed that 'it shows us the man in prosperity and in adversity, now delightfully humorous … now saddened by the financial troubles which came upon his later years'. Notwithstanding his money worries, Scott's final decade was not without literary achievement. Volume 2 comprises entries from July 1827 to April 1832, during which time Scott published The Fair Maid of Perth (1828) and Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (1830).

The Private Correspondence of David Garrick with the Most Celebrated Persons of his Time
  • Now First Published from the Originals, and Illustrated with Notes, and a New Biographical Memoir of Garrick
  • Volume 1
  • David Garrick
  • Edited by James Boaden
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • David Garrick (1717–79) is synonymous with the golden age of English theatre. Widely acclaimed as an actor, he went on to become a shrewd theatre manager at Drury Lane. His years in charge of the Theatre Royal ensured its dramatic ascendancy and burnished his own considerable celebrity. These letters, first published in 1831, reveal Garrick's gregarious nature and shed light on his many friendships with leading ladies, fellow actors, contemporary playwrights, and members of high society. His love of Shakespeare's work is also evident, highlighting Garrick's pivotal role in ensuring the plays became established in the national consciousness. This two-volume collection was edited by James Boaden (1762–1839), who published several theatrical biographies (also reissued in this series). Containing correspondence for the period 1736–74, Volume 1 also includes a biographical account that traces the progress of Garrick's theatrical career.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart
  • Volume 4
  • John Gibson Lockhart
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1837
  • As son-in-law and literary executor to Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), John Gibson Lockhart (1794–1854) was uniquely placed to produce a definitive biography of the great poet and novelist. First published in 1837–8, shortly after Scott's death, this celebrated seven-volume work is based on personal memories, correspondence, and Scott's own autobiographical sketches. Wide-ranging in his purview, Lockhart is also detailed in his descriptions: the Aberdeen Journal of the day observed that the volumes trace Scott's life and literary efforts with 'the most minute distinctness'. Volume 4 leads readers through the productive years of 1816–20, covering the publication of the first Tales of My Landlord (1816), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), and the preparation of the manuscript of Ivanhoe (1820). Using Scott's private correspondence, Lockhart reveals much about the writer's agreements and disputes with distinguished men of politics and letters.

Memoirs, Journal, and Correspondence of Thomas Moore
  • Volume 5
  • Thomas Moore
  • Edited by John Russell
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1854
  • Throughout his professional life, the poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852) was variously celebrated and vilified for both his verse and his politics. Born in Dublin, he remained an ardent Irish patriot until his death. This eight-volume collection of Moore's memoirs, diaries and letters, edited by his friend Lord John Russell (1792–1878) and first published between 1853 and 1856, provides rare insights into a man whose genius was applauded by the Morning Chronicle as 'embracing almost all sides of imaginative literature, of criticism and philosophy'. Opening with a portrait of Lord John Russell and a view of Moore's residence in Paris, Volume 5 contains the poet's diary for the period 1825–8. During these years, Moore embarked on a new career as biographer of the playwright and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and published the political satire Odes upon Cash, Corn, Catholics, and Other Matters (1828).

Letters Written between the Years 1784 and 1807
  • Volume 5
  • Anna Seward
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1811
  • The literary career of Anna Seward (1742–1809) had many frustrations. Erasmus Darwin once printed her poetry under his own name. Horace Walpole accused her of having 'no imagination'. And despite her evident talents, she was unable to find a patron willing to support a woman. Yet her letters reveal the breadth of her interests and the strength of her literary criticism. In addition to writing to newspapers and magazines, she counted many eminent figures among her correspondents, including James Boswell (who begged for a lock of her hair) and the young Walter Scott. This six-volume selection of her letters, edited by the publisher Archibald Constable (1774–1827), first appeared in 1811. Full of Seward's characteristic good humour, Volume 5 covers the years 1797–1801. It features her reflections on slavery, the disinclination of the young toward a religious life, and the troubled state of Ireland, alongside frank accounts of the rheumatism that plagued her middle age.

A Grammar of the English Language, in a Series of Letters
  • Intended for the Use of Schools and of Young Persons in General; But, More Especially for the Use of Soldiers, Sailors, Apprentices, and Plough-Boys
  • William Cobbett
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
    First published in:
    1818
  • Indefatigable as a writer and reformer on rural and political questions in his native Britain, William Cobbett (1763–1835) wrote the present work during the period he spent as a farmer in the United States. Intended for young people and especially 'soldiers, sailors, apprentices, and plough-boys' (Cobbett had himself been one of the latter), it provides concise and practical explanations of grammatical terms, touching on aspects of orthography, prosody, etymology and syntax. First published in December 1818 and used in English schools into the twentieth century, it is reissued here in the version printed in London in 1819. Cobbett demonstrates in a series of letters to his son the fundamental importance of good grammar and clarity of expression. To emphasise this point, he includes 'specimens of false grammar' in the writings of Samuel Johnson as well as 'errors and nonsense' in a speech given by George III.

Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable Richard Brinsley Sheridan
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Moore
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Best known for The Rivals and The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) was already a celebrated comic playwright when he entered Parliament in 1780. Turning his wit and talent as a writer to political oratory, he won acclaim for his speeches in the House of Commons. As an independent-minded Whig, he had to reconcile his distrust of monarchical power with his role as friend and confidant to the future George IV. Sheridan's was ultimately a turbulent life, rocked by affairs, heavy drinking and constant debt. This successful and influential two-volume biography, first published in 1825, was written by the poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852), who went on to chart the life of Lord Byron. Volume 1 covers Sheridan's early life and career as a writer, including extensive extracts from unfinished plays.

Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple, 1652–54
  • Dorothy Osborne
  • Edited by Edward Abbott Parry
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    20 March 2014
  • Published in 1888, this work reproduced for the first time in full the letters sent by the English gentlewoman Dorothy Osborne (1627–95) to Sir William Temple (1628–99) during their courtship. Osborne first met Temple on the Isle of Wight in 1648, but both their families opposed the relationship and the couple were not able to marry until 1654. Osborne's letters are highly engaging, especially notable for their political and social commentary as well as for the details they reveal about her daily life and the clandestine courtship. Only one of Temple's letters survives, since Osborne destroyed them as soon as she had read them. While extracts of her letters had appeared in print earlier, the lawyer and author Edward Abbott Parry (1863–1943) was the first person to publish the entire collection of surviving correspondence. His edition is particularly valuable for the explanatory notes that accompany each letter.

Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable Richard Brinsley Sheridan
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Moore
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    05 September 2013
  • Best known for The Rivals and The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) was already a celebrated comic playwright when he entered Parliament in 1780. Turning his wit and talent as a writer to political oratory, he won acclaim for his speeches in the House of Commons. As an independent-minded Whig, he had to reconcile his distrust of monarchical power with his role as friend and confidant to the future George IV. Sheridan's was ultimately a turbulent life, rocked by affairs, heavy drinking and constant debt. This successful and influential two-volume biography, first published in 1825, was written by the poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852), who went on to chart the life of Lord Byron. Volume 2 covers Sheridan's political career, his speeches in Parliament and his final years, closing with reflections on his life.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart
  • Volume 7
  • John Gibson Lockhart
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1838
  • As son-in-law and literary executor to Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), John Gibson Lockhart (1794–1854) was uniquely placed to produce a definitive biography of the great poet and novelist. First published in 1837–8, shortly after Scott's death, this celebrated seven-volume work is based on personal memories, correspondence, and Scott's own autobiographical sketches. Wide-ranging in his purview, Lockhart is also detailed in his descriptions: the Aberdeen Journal of the day observed that the volumes trace Scott's life and literary efforts with 'the most minute distinctness'. Volume 7 covers the period from 1826 until Scott's death in 1832. This was perhaps the darkest chapter in Scott's life, during which his financial woes forced him to sell the copyright for the Waverley novels. This final volume also includes an appendix listing Scott's publications as well as an index of names.

Letters Written between the Years 1784 and 1807
  • Volume 1
  • Anna Seward
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1811
  • The literary career of Anna Seward (1742–1809) had many frustrations. Erasmus Darwin once printed her poetry under his own name. Horace Walpole accused her of having 'no imagination'. And despite her evident talents, she was unable to find a patron willing to support a woman. Yet her letters reveal the breadth of her interests and the strength of her literary criticism. In addition to writing to newspapers and magazines, she counted many eminent figures among her correspondents, including James Boswell (who begged for a lock of her hair) and the young Walter Scott. This six-volume selection of her letters, edited by the publisher Archibald Constable (1774–1827), first appeared in 1811. Volume 1 covers the period 1784–7. Showing the first signs of her long-lasting acrimony towards Samuel Johnson, whom she saw as a bully, it includes some of her anecdotes of him, alongside her own equally expert criticism.

Personal Aspects of Jane Austen
  • Mary Augusta Austen-Leigh
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1920
  • Early in the twentieth century, public interest in Jane Austen (1775–1817) was considerable. Although the popularity of her work had remained modest in her lifetime, she was sufficiently well known by the centenary of her death to have provoked toxic reviews from Henry James and Mark Twain along with the reserved support of E. M. Forster. Previous biographies had been riddled with inaccuracies: she was called 'narrow', was said to have disliked children and animals, and to have led a quiet, almost monastic life. Many of these mistakes could be traced back to the unashamedly idealised biography written by her nephew, but while contrary accounts emerged later in the form of her letters, the old misapprehensions endured. In this neglected addition to Austen literature, first published in 1920, Mary Augusta Austen-Leigh (1838–1922) corrects many of these errors, advocating a closer critical reading of her great aunt's novels.

Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Bart
  • Volume 5
  • John Gibson Lockhart
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    13 November 2012
    First published in:
    1837
  • As son-in-law and literary executor to Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), John Gibson Lockhart (1794–1854) was uniquely placed to produce a definitive biography of the great poet and novelist. First published in 1837–8, shortly after Scott's death, this celebrated seven-volume work is based on personal memories, correspondence, and Scott's own autobiographical sketches. Wide-ranging in his purview, Lockhart is also detailed in his descriptions: the Aberdeen Journal of the day observed that the volumes trace Scott's life and literary efforts with 'the most minute distinctness'. In volume 5, Lockhart examines Scott's personal and professional life during the years 1820–5. After introducing readers to the hospitality that Scott bestowed on his guests at Abbotsford, the author then turns the reader's attention to Scott's literary achievements with the publication of The Abbot (1820) and the commencement of St Ronan's Well (1823).

Memoirs, Journal, and Correspondence of Thomas Moore
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Moore
  • Edited by John Russell
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1853
  • Throughout his professional life, the poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852) was variously celebrated and vilified for both his verse and his politics. Born in Dublin, he remained an ardent Irish patriot until his death. This eight-volume collection of Moore's memoirs, diaries and letters, edited by his friend Lord John Russell (1792–1878) and first published between 1853 and 1856, provides rare insights into a man whose genius was applauded by the Morning Chronicle as 'embracing almost all sides of imaginative literature, of criticism and philosophy'. Volume 2 opens with a portrait of his friend and patron Lord Moira and a view of Bermuda, where Moore spent a brief period in 1803–4. The volume covers the period 1814–18, during which time the poet wrote one of his most profitable publications, Lalla Rookh, and bought his Wiltshire home, Sloperton Cottage, where he would spend his final years.

The Life, and Posthumous Writings, of William Cowper, Esqr.
  • With an Introductory Letter to the Right Honourable Earl Cowper
  • Volume 3
  • William Hayley
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • Successors such as Wordsworth and Coleridge admired yet overshadowed William Cowper (1731–1800). Troubled by mental instability, he retreated from both the legal profession and the woman he had hoped to marry, seeking out a quiet existence in the country. In spite of his struggles, he made a translation of Homer's Iliad, produced a considerable body of poetry, and maintained many epistolary contacts. This four-volume biography, compiled by his friend and fellow poet William Hayley (1745–1820), appeared between 1803 and 1806, bringing together selected letters and unpublished poems to illuminate Cowper's personal and literary life. Opening with an essay, 'Desultory remarks on the letters of eminent persons, particularly those of Pope and Cowper', Volume 3 (1804) includes letters in which Cowper gives his frank opinions of contemporary literary figures, notably Samuel Johnson, interspersed with his characteristic flights of whimsy and enthusiastic remarks on gardening.

Memoirs, Journal, and Correspondence of Thomas Moore
  • Volume 7
  • Thomas Moore
  • Edited by John Russell
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1856
  • Throughout his professional life, the poet Thomas Moore (1779–1852) was variously celebrated and vilified for both his verse and his politics. Born in Dublin, he remained an ardent Irish patriot until his death. This eight-volume collection of Moore's memoirs, diaries and letters, edited by his friend Lord John Russell (1792–1878) and first published between 1853 and 1856, provides rare insights into a man whose genius was applauded by the Morning Chronicle as 'embracing almost all sides of imaginative literature, of criticism and philosophy'. Opening with a portrait of Moore's most loyal patron in his later years, the Marquis of Lansdowne, Volume 7 contains Moore's diary for the period 1833–44, during which he published Travels of an Irish Gentleman in Search of Religion (1833) and devoted much time to his History of Ireland (1835–46).

Letters Written between the Years 1784 and 1807
  • Volume 3
  • Anna Seward
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1811
  • The literary career of Anna Seward (1742–1809) had many frustrations. Erasmus Darwin once printed her poetry under his own name. Horace Walpole accused her of having 'no imagination'. And despite her evident talents, she was unable to find a patron willing to support a woman. Yet her letters reveal the breadth of her interests and the strength of her literary criticism. In addition to writing to newspapers and magazines, she counted many eminent figures among her correspondents, including James Boswell (who begged for a lock of her hair) and the young Walter Scott. This six-volume selection of her letters, edited by the publisher Archibald Constable (1774–1827), first appeared in 1811. Volume 3 covers the years 1791–4. Ranging from simple but meticulous acknowledgements of praise for her poetry through to her wary opinions of the recent French Revolution, her letters show an unwavering devotion to both her literary criticism and the people closest to her.

Page 7 of 23