The Collected Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. 14: Table Talk (Bollingen Series, No. 75)

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kathleen Coburn (Editor), B. Winer (Editor)

Coleridge's nephew, son-in-law, and first editor, Henry Nelson Coleridge, began at the end of 1822 a record of Coleridge's remarks as a way of preparing an anthology of the interests and thought of the great poet and critic. His manuscripts, gathered to form the major text of this new edition, include passages on relatives, friends, and various censorable topics omitted from the Table Talk of 1835 and unpublished until now. These two volumes also contain talk recorded by other listeners from 1798 until Coleridge's death in 1834. Some of these records have not been previously published; some are published from manuscripts that differ from versions previously known. Also included are previously unpublished remarks by Wordsworth. Along with a bibliography of earlier editions of Table Talk and other useful appendixes, the second volume of Carl Woodring's edition reprints the second edition (1836), which differs from the manuscripts more extensively than the edition of 1835.


This is the first fully annotated edition of a work that long remained more popular in the United Kingdom than any of the works in prose published by Coleridge himself. The two volumes make a convenient encyclopedia of his ideas and interests.

1475 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1836

About the author

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, along with his friend William Wordsworth, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as his major prose work Biographia Literaria.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this, and would have given it 5* but it’s really not for everyone. It shows the extraordinary range of Coleridge’s knowledge and opinion. It could also uncharitably be said it shows him as a garrulous know-it-all. I loved hearing his opinions on everything from the Corn Laws, to German blank verse, slavery, universal suffrage, literature, music, the Old Testament etc etc. his mind was remarkable. These are opinions though, and it’s not necessary to agree with them all to enjoy this.