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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 12 of 23

The Life and Letters of Leslie Stephen
  • Frederic William Maitland, Leslie Stephen
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1906
  • Leslie Stephen (1832–1904), the founding Editor of the Dictionary of National Biography, was one of the leading literary figures of the nineteenth century. Stephen, the father of artist Vanessa Bell and writer Virginia Woolf, began his career writing for London publications before being appointed Editor of The Cornhill Magazine in 1881. The magazine's proprietor approached him with the idea for the Dictionary, and the first volume appeared in 1885 to much acclaim - but by 1889 Stephen had collapsed from overwork and finally stepped down from his editorial role in 1891. However, he continued to write extensively not least, publishing the three-volume The English Utilitarians (also reissued in this series) in 1900. This biography, published in 1906, was written by family friend and legal historian Frederic Maitland (1850–1906), who drew extensively from Stephen's letters to give a detailed account of the life of a most influential Victorian.

Stratford-on-Avon
  • From the Earliest Times to the Death of Shakespeare
  • Sidney Lee
  • Illustrated by Edward Hull
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    17 May 2012
    First published in:
    1890
  • Sir Sidney Lee (1859–1926) was a lifelong scholar and enthusiast of Shakespeare, but is also remembered as the 'sub-editor' recruited by Sir Leslie Stephen when he was embarking on the project of the Dictionary of National Biography, and whose editorial and organisational skills were vital in keeping the publication programme close to its planned schedule. His own contributions to the Dictionary included an account of the life of Queen Victoria and (in Volume 51, 1897) William Shakespeare. This study of Stratford-on-Avon was first published in 1885, and the greatly enlarged version, reissued here, in 1890. (In 1898 Lee produced his biography of Shakespeare (also reissued in this series), regarded for much of the twentieth century as the most reliable account of Shakespeare's life.) This illustrated work draws on the archival material then available to provide a history of the town of Stratford up to the time of Shakespeare's death.

The Literary Life and Correspondence of the Countess of Blessington
  • Volume 3
  • Richard Robert Madden, Marguerite Blessington
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    26 April 2012
    First published in:
    1855
  • Following her advantageous second marriage, the famous beauty Marguerite, Countess of Blessington (1789–1849), presided over one of London's most glittering salons, variously attended by Thomas Moore, Disraeli, Bulwer Lytton, and Dickens. After her husband's death in 1829, she augmented her income by writing, most notably her Conversations with Lord Byron, which recounted her acquaintance with the poet in Genoa. Despite considerable success, her debt-ridden establishment collapsed in 1849 and Lady Blessington fled to Paris, where she died. This 1855 biography and letters, in three volumes was edited by R. R. Madden (1798–1886), colonial administrator and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, who had first met the Blessingtons in Naples in 1821. It illuminates the intriguing social role of the salon hostess and its many financial and emotional pressures. Volume 3 contains further brief biographies of her various correspondents, followed by their letters.

Reminiscences
  • Matilda Betham-Edwards
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    24 May 2012
    First published in:
    1898
  • The author of numerous popular novels, British author and poet Matilda Betham-Edwards (1836–1919) was also a dedicated Francophile. With books such as France of To-Day (1892), which describes contemporary French life to a British readership, she worked to promote a better understanding between the two nations. In recognition of her efforts, she was made Officier de l'Instruction Publique de France by the French government, and awarded several medals. In this autobiography, first published in 1898, Betham-Edwards recounts significant episodes of her life. She tells of her childhood and education, the publication of her first book in 1857, and her experiences as a female professional author, including meeting George Eliot and John Stuart Mill. Her travel narrative Through Spain to the Sahara (1868), and her editions of the writings of agriculturalist Arthur Young, are also reissued in this series.

Literary Blunders
  • A Chapter in the History of Human Error
  • Henry Benjamin Wheatley
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    09 August 2012
    First published in:
    1893
  • Delight in other people's errors never dates, and this little book, first published in 1893, is a fount of human folly and a joy to read. Its compiler, Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838–1917), was a distinguished librarian, bibliographer and scholar, and a prolific author on London history and the history of books. This publication displays his great sense of humour, and his effortless command of far-flung sources in the search for a good joke. Citing examples from historians to misguided schoolboys, as well as from everyday conversation, Wheatley looks at comic misprints, misunderstandings, and garbled English in foreign parts. However, the book also has a more serious contribution to make: the chapter on printed errata makes use of the earliest evidence of proof correction by authors, and the analysis of misprints in early printing shows how many variant readings in the works of Shakespeare came about.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson
  • A Memoir
  • Volume 1
  • Hallam Tennyson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2013
    Print publication:
    28 June 2012
    First published in:
    1897
  • Hallam Tennyson's biography of his father Alfred, Lord Tennyson, remains the authoritative source of information on the poet's life. Begun after his death in 1892 and published five years later, this work was produced in order to 'preclude the chance of further and unauthentic biographies', and is formed largely of a wealth of documentary evidence: the letters, journals, and personal reminiscences of the poet and those close to him. Adhering to Tennyson's wishes, on his death his son and wife destroyed over three-quarters of the 40,000 letters he left behind, but those selected and reprinted here nonetheless give a fascinating insight into the personal life of the poet; guarded and respectful in its commemorative tone, but avoiding overzealous eulogy or critical review. Volume 1 contains letters and manuscript notes from the period up to 1864, including those relating to the life and death of Tennyson's close friend, Arthur Hallam, and his own marriage.

Double Falshood; or, The Distrest Lovers
  • A Play, as it is Now Acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden, Written Originally by W. Shakespeare
  • William Shakespeare
  • Edited by Lewis Theobald
  • Published online:
    05 April 2013
    Print publication:
    01 July 2010
    First published in:
    1728
  • Double Falshood was staged at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane at the end of 1727, and the following year Lewis Theobald (1688–1744) published the text, which was reprinted several times. Theobald was an energetic editor who translated Sophocles' Electra and Aristophanes' Plutus for performance in London, wrote and edited many other dramatic works, and caused great controversy in literary circles with his Shakespeare Restored (1726), a critique of Pope's edition. Scholars have debated for nearly three centuries to what extent, if at all, Double Falshood derives from a lost play by Shakespeare, as Theobald claimed. There is now widespread agreement that it is the only surviving version of Shakespeare and Fletcher's Cardenio, which was based on episodes from Cervantes' Don Quixote and is known to have been performed in 1613. Interest generated by the play's partial acceptance into the Shakespearean canon has also led to modern revivals.

Letters and Journals of Lord Byron
  • With Notices of his Life
  • Volume 1
  • George Gordon Byron
  • Edited by Thomas Moore
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1830
  • George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron of Rochdale (1788–1824) is one of the central writers of British Romanticism and his 'Byronic' hero - the charming, dashing, rebellious outsider - remains a literary archetype. But to what extent is this character a portrayal of the author himself? Byron was known for his extremely unconventional, eccentric character and his extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle: he had numerous scandalous love affairs, including a suspiciously close relationship with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. Lady Caroline Lamb, one of his lovers, famously described him as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know'. This two-volume work, compiled by his friend Thomas Moore, to whom Byron had given his manuscript memoirs (which he later burnt), was published in 1830. Volume 1 gives an account of Byron's early life, including his time as a star of the literary scene in London, and ends with his departure from the country in 1816.

Through the Magic Door
  • Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1907
  • Best known now for his Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was also an astute and entertaining critic. In this collection of essays first published in 1907, he takes the reader on a tour of his own bookshelf and explores an eccentric range of topics, from the unreasonable opinions of Samuel Johnson to the deficiencies of Ivanhoe and the fascination of Treasure Island. While the importance of deep, intellectual reading is emphasised throughout, across an impressive scope of scientific and literary subjects, Conan Doyle is also firm in his belief that popular fiction is vital and that creativity should not be restricted by strict fact. Including sixteen illustrations, twelve essays and a full index, this book presents reading as a form of unlimited escape, a stance still at the heart of literary debate today, and will interest students of literary theory and the general reader alike.

Thomas Carlyle
  • Moncure Daniel Conway
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    23 February 2012
    First published in:
    1881
  • Moncure Daniel Conway (1832–1907), the son of a Virginian plantation-owner, became a Unitarian minister but his anti-slavery views made him controversial. He later became a freethinker, and following the outbreak of the Civil War, which deeply divided his own family, he left the United States for England in 1863. He gained a reputation as the 'least orthodox preacher in London', and was acquainted with many figures in the literary and scientific world, including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin. This memoir of Thomas Carlyle, another friend, was published in 1881 soon after Carlyle's death. Carlyle had not wanted to be the subject of a biography, and reluctantly authorised J. A. Froude to write one, but Conway rushed into print this somewhat hagiographical account because he was concerned, with reason, about the damage Froude's frank biography (published in 1882–4 and also reissued in this series) might do to Carlyle's reputation.

Memories and Adventures
  • Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1924
  • Known as 'the great northern diver' to his crewmates, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) fell into the Arctic Ocean on three occasions during his voyage as doctor on a whaler, before becoming part of the harpooning crew. This adventure sets the scene for the remarkable variety of his later life. In his autobiography, first published in 1923, he details everything from that first voyage to his literary success, his collaboration with playwright J. M. Barrie (whose Sherlock Holmes parody is included), and his involvement in the setting up of volunteer groups during the First World War. He describes how the methods of Sherlock Holmes helped him solve several real-life mysteries and, in a touching counterpoint to this scientific approach, closes with a chapter on his belief in spiritualism. Characteristically astute and entertaining, this book will appeal to students of early twentieth-century history, Holmes fans and the curious general reader alike.

Reminiscences
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Carlyle
  • Edited by James Anthony Froude
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1881
  • Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was one of the most influential authors of the nineteenth century, and his essays and historical biographies led to him being regarded for much of the Victorian period as a literary genius and eminent social philosopher. This two-volume work, published in 1881, is a collection of Carlyle's reminiscences, which were edited by his friend, the historian J. A. Froude (1818–94). In 1871, Carlyle had given Froude a collection of his own papers, including these sketches, and of those belonging to his deceased wife, Jane, to be edited and published after his death. Froude - who was simultaneously writing his two-part biography of Carlyle (also reissued in this series) - had them ready for publication a month after Carlyle's death on 5 February 1881. Volume 2 contains Carlyle's reminiscences about his wife, Jane, and about Scottish critic Lord Jeffrey.

Reminiscences
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Carlyle
  • Edited by James Anthony Froude
  • Published online:
    05 February 2013
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1881
  • Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was one of the most influential authors of the nineteenth century, and his essays and historical biographies led to him being regarded for much of the Victorian period as a literary genius and eminent social philosopher. This two-volume work, published in 1881, is a collection of Carlyle's reminiscences, which were edited by his friend, the historian J. A. Froude (1818–94). In 1871, Carlyle had given Froude a collection of his own papers, including these sketches, and of those belonging to his deceased wife, Jane, to be edited and published after his death. Froude - who was simultaneously writing his two-part biography of Carlyle (also reissued in this series) - had them ready for publication a month after Carlyle's death on 5 February 1881. Volume 1 contains Carlyle's reminiscences of his father, James, and of Edward Irving, a close friend from his early years.

Life of George Eliot
  • Oscar Browning
  • Published online:
    05 December 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1890
  • 'George Eliot' was the pseudonym of Marian Evans (1819–80), possibly the greatest of the Victorian novelists, whose works include The Mill on the Floss (1860), Middlemarch (1871–2) and Daniel Deronda (1876). Her personal life was complex - she was an independent woman who challenged social conventions. Her friend, Eton master and historian Oscar Browning (1837–1923), was moved to write this affectionate assessment of her life, and it was published in 1890, offering 'no claims … but a friendship of fifteen years, and a deep and unswerving devotion to her mind and character'. Browning takes a chronological approach, focusing mainly on the beginnings of Eliot's writing career and on her novels, while adding recollections of their encounters. He also writes with candour about Eliot's relationship and cohabitation with the married writer G. H. Lewes (1817–78), which transgressed the social norms of the period.

Letters of Charles Dickens
  • 1833–1870
  • Charles Dickens
  • Edited by Georgina Hogarth, Mary Dickens
  • Published online:
    05 December 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1893
  • This selection from the letters of Charles Dickens (1812–70) was edited (as it says on the title page) 'by his sister-in-law and his eldest daughter'. The former was Georgina Hogarth (1827–1917), who stayed in Dickens' household and cared for the family when the author separated from his wife, her sister, in 1858; the latter was Mary (1838–96), known in the family as Mamie, his favourite child. They had published a three-volume edition in 1880, and a 'New Edition' in 1882; this reissue is of the single-volume third edition of 1893. The collection was seen as a 'supplement' to Forster's life of Dickens (also reissued in this series). Inevitably, it focuses on the positive and dynamic sides of Dickens' complex character, and gives a vivid portrait of a man juggling family life, writing, editing, travelling, amateur theatricals and public readings from his works with tremendous energy and verve.

Ruskin and the English Lakes
  • Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    17 November 2011
    First published in:
    1901
  • John Ruskin (1819–1900), the influential Victorian art critic and social theorist, lived in the Lake District for nearly 30 years. This biographical study, first published in 1901, focuses on the significance of the region in Ruskin's life and art. It begins with his first visit as a five-year-old, when he became ''a dedicated spirit' to the beauty and the wonders of Nature', and ends with accounts of his funeral and memorial at Coniston. It describes his commitment to the local people and their traditional crafts, and his relationship with the poet Wordsworth. The author, H. D. Rawnsley (1851–1920), was a clergyman, conservationist and keen art lover based in the Lake District who had been personally tutored by Ruskin and who was one of the founders, in 1884, of the heritage organisation that became the National Trust.

Children's Books in England
  • Five Centuries of Social Life
  • Frederick Joseph Harvey Darton
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    03 November 2011
    First published in:
    1932
  • From fables to fairy tales, romances to nursery rhymes, this highly influential 1932 study analyses the evolution of children's literature. Publisher and writer F. J. Harvey Darton (1878–1936) draws upon his family's involvement in children's publishing since the late eighteenth century, his knowledge of medieval literature, and his own extensive collection of children's books to present the first account of English children's literature seen as a continuous whole. Setting children's books in their historical context, the work reflects much about the history of English social life as well as providing an in-depth perspective on the genre - in the author's words 'a chronicle of the English people in their capacity of parents, guardians and educators of children'. A classic and authoritative study for anyone interested in the history of children's literature, Darton's book remains an invaluable source of information on the genre.

The Life of Charles Dickens
  • Volume 3, 1852–1870
  • John Forster
  • Published online:
    05 November 2012
    Print publication:
    15 December 2011
    First published in:
    1874
  • John Forster (1812–76), an exact contemporary of Charles Dickens, was one of his closest friends, and acted for him (as for many other authors) as advisor, editor, proofreader, agent and marketing manager: according to Thackeray, 'whenever anyone is in a scrape we all fly to him for refuge. He is omniscient and works miracles.' Forster was Dickens' literary executor, and was left the manuscripts of many of the novels, which he in turn left (along with the rest of his magnificent library) to the South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert Museum). He was ideally placed to write a biography of Dickens, having known him since the 1830s, and having been involved in deeply private matters such as Dickens' separation from his wife. This three-volume account was first published between 1872 and 1874; the version of Volume 3 reissued here is the first edition.

Great Expectations
  • The First Edition, 1861
  • Volume 1
  • Charles Dickens
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    08 November 2011
    First published in:
    1861
  • The novels of Charles Dickens (1812–70), with their inimitable energy and their comic, tragic and grotesque characters, are still widely read, and reworked for film and television. The first book edition of Great Expectations was published in three volumes in 1861. It is now reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection simultaneously with the serialised version, published in Dickens' periodical All the Year Round in 1860–1, and a volume of newly photographed actual-size colour images of the entire original manuscript. Dickens himself had the manuscript bound and presented to his friend Chauncy Hare Townshend, with whom he shared an interest in mesmerism and the occult, and in 1868 Townshend bequeathed his library (including the manuscript) to the Wisbech and Fenland Museum. Dickens scholars and enthusiasts will now be able easily to study this three-volume book edition alongside the serial and the work-in-progress, with all its deletions and revisions.

The Works of Walter Pater
  • Volume 6, Plato and Platonism: a Series of Lectures
  • Walter Pater
  • Published online:
    05 October 2012
    Print publication:
    10 November 2011
    First published in:
    1901
  • Walter Pater (1839–94) was the foremost Victorian writer on art and on aesthetic experience. He brought his extensive knowledge of the history of art to bear on the new problem of how to explain the very personal affective response to beauty, and raised this into a central concern of aesthetic and philosophical thought. His ideas still shape modern assumptions about how art plays on our feelings and intellectual responses. This edition of Pater's complete works was published in 1900–1 in a limited edition of 775 copies. It comprises eight volumes with an additional volume of critical essays first published in The Guardian. These lectures on Plato were a product of Pater's teaching at the University of Oxford, but underwent several rounds of revision before being published in 1893. Pater analyses several aspects of Plato's thought, his relationship with Socrates, and his major works.

Page 12 of 23