Bøger i Cambridge Library Collection - Literary Studies serien

This eight-volume set, published 1817-58 by the Nichols family, is a sequel to John Nichols' Literary Anecdotes (1812-15), and provides a useful source of biographical material on authors and publishers at a time when many of the literary genres we now take for granted were first being developed.

Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) was the founding Editor of the Dictionary of National Biography and a writer on philosophy, ethics, and literature. These finely crafted biographical essays on eminent historical figures were written originally for the National Review and published as two two-volume sets in 1898 and 1902.

Marston's 1888 tribute to drama, the theatre, and the actors who brought it to life in the Victorian era is a personal and informative account of experiences backstage and in the audience. The growth and development of the theatre 'industry' and the acting community is intimately portrayed.

This two-volume collection of reminiscences by historian and social critic Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was edited by his friend, the historian J. A. Froude (1818-94) and published in March 1881, a month after Carlyle's death. Volume 1 contains sketches about Carlyle's father, James, and Edward Irving, a close friend.

George Gordon Noel Byron (1788-1824), a central figure of British Romanticism, was famous for his unconventional character and lifestyle as well as for his poetry. This two-volume work, compiled by his friend Thomas Moore, was published in 1830. Volume 1 gives an account of Byron's life until 1816.

The famous beauty Marguerite, Countess of Blessington (1789-1849), presided over one of London's most glittering salons, financed initially by her husband, and, after his death, largely by her literary efforts. This 1855 biography and letters, in three volumes, edited by R. R. Madden (1798-1886), documents her intriguing social role.

Designed 'to present the sort of insight into his history and pursuits which one wants, if one desires to make a companion of a man', this invaluable 1897 memoir of Tennyson by his son Hallam is self-confessedly uncritical, concerned with respectful and guarded biography through a wealth of documentary evidence.

The first book edition of Great Expectations was published in three volumes in 1861. It is now reissued simultaneously with the serialised version of 1860-1 and a newly photographed colour reproduction of the original manuscript, enabling scholars and enthusiasts to study the book version alongside the work-in-progress.

John Forster (1812-76), an exact contemporary of Charles Dickens and one of his closest friends, published this three-volume biography between 1872 and 1874. Volume 1 covers the period up to and including Dickens' visit to America in 1842; the version reissued here is the 'seventh edition' of 1872.

Mary Delany (nee Granville, 1700-88) was famed for her paper-cut botanical illustrations, but she was also a prolific correspondent and knew many of the leading cultural figures of the eighteenth century. This six-volume work, edited by her great-great-niece, Lady Llanover (1802-96), was published in 1861-2.

Irish writer and satirist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is best known for his book Gulliver's Travels, but he was also an energetic political activist and campaigner on Irish issues. In this two-volume biography, first published in 1826, Sir Walter Scott discusses Swift's life and legacy.

John Cam Hobhouse, Baron Broughton (1786-1869), politician and memoirist, is today best remembered for his close friendship with Byron. This six-volume memoir, edited by his daughter from his own writings and diaries, was published in 1909-11, and sheds light on social and political events of his time.

Originally published in 1899, and reissued here in the 1928 edition, this two-volume collection contains letters and travel reports written by Kipling (1865-1936) on his journeys around India, East Asia and the USA in 1887-9. Kipling's characteristically vivid prose describes experiences including a fascinating encounter with Mark Twain.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was one of the most influential authors of the nineteenth century. These volumes, first published in 1884, form the second part of James Anthony Froude's classic biography of Carlyle, describing his life and literary work after 1834. Volume 1 covers the years 1834-1849.

Jane Welsh Carlyle (1801-1866) was a prolific letter writer, and her marriage to Thomas was one of the most famous of literary unions. Readers of this 1883 collection of her letters will be entertained by Jane's famous wit, and will sympathise with the frequent tensions in her marriage.

Lewes' 1855 biography (reissued here in the second, 1858 edition) paints a balanced picture of this great German intellectual. Drawing on personal letters and recollections provided by Goethe's colleagues, friends and family, Lewes probes the connections between Goethe's life and work, and highlights the continuing relevance of his thought.

Walter Pater (1839-94) was the foremost Victorian writer on art and on aesthetic experience. The Renaissance, first published as Studies in the Renaissance (1873), is his best known work, made up of essays on Italian art and the Renaissance. This version forms part of his collected works (1900-1).

Alfred Bunn published these memoirs of his theatrical career in 1840. His account is written with a verve which makes it very readable, and provides a fascinating account of the period when Bunn was running both the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane and the Opera House at Covent Garden.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) was one of the most influential authors of the nineteenth century. These volumes, first published in 1882, form the first part of James Anthony Froude's classic biography of Carlyle, describing his early life and literary work. Volume 1 covers the years 1795-1827.

Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84) is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of English literature, as a poet, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Volume 9 contains various critical pieces, essays on philosophical matters, and papers about the Dictionary and his edition of Shakespeare.

John O'Keeffe (1747-1833), the Irish playwright who wrote a string of successful comic operas and farces including Wild Oats (1791), for the London stage, published this two-volume memoir in 1826. In Volume 1, O'Keeffe focuses on his childhood, the influence of London theatre and his early career in Ireland.

Best remembered for his children's tale The Water Babies, Charles Kingsley (1819-75) was an Anglican priest, historian, novelist and supporter of social reform. Written by his wife and drawing on his letters, this account of a varied life gives insights into the concerns and preoccupations of the mid-Victorian period.

Samuel Richardson (1689-1761), the English writer and printer best known for his epistolary novels, including Pamela and Clarissa, had preserved copies of his extensive correspondence with a view to its eventual publication, and these volumes, published in 1804, contain a biography of Richardson and a selection from his letters.

Thomas Chatterton (1752-70), Wordsworth's 'marvellous boy', died aged only seventeen, but his legacy influenced the Romantics for decades. First published in 1803, this three-volume collection brings together his works. Volume 1 includes his earliest poetry, alongside George Gregory's biographical account (also reissued separately in this series).

First published in 1863, this work by Julia Kavanagh traces the contribution of English women writers from the seventeenth century to the development of the modern novel. Volume 1 contains biographical sketches and evaluates the work of Aphra Behn, Sarah Fielding, Madame D'Arblay (Fanny Burney), Charlotte Smith and Ann Radcliff.

First published in 1885, this three-part 'autobiography' was assembled by John Cross from the letters and journals of his late wife, George Eliot. Though suppressing much in the desire to render an unconventional life 'respectable', the work remains an important initial insight into Eliot's personal and private life.

Thomas Adolphus Trollope (1810-1892), historian and writer, was the son of travel writer Frances and brother of Anthony, the renowned novelist. Trollope lived for long periods in Italy where he published books on Italian history and culture. His three-volume memoir contains an intimate account of his eventful life.

Hester Chapone (1727-1801) was a British writer and advocate of women's education. These volumes, first published posthumously by her family in 1807, contain a biography and a series of previously unpublished letters, providing valuable insights into her views and character. Volume 1 contains her letters to Eliza Carter.

Part autobiography, part critical analysis, this 1852 collection of essays was penned by one of the most prolific female writers of the nineteenth century. This first volume contains essays on Beaumont and Fletcher, Sidney, Herrick, Samuel Johnson, and Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and several others.

Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte, the first of many biographies of the Brontes, helped to establish the family's public image as a dynasty characterised by literary genius and personal tragedy. Volume 1 covers Charlotte's life up until the publication of her poems under the pseudonym Currer Bell in 1846.