The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth: Volume VIII: A Supplement of New Letters

by William Wordsworth, Alan G. Hill (Editor)

This volume contains more than 150 letters, most previously unpublished, which appeared too late for inclusion in the second edition of The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth (1967-88). They are indispensable for understanding the poet and the inner dynamics of the Wordsworth circle. These letters, varied in tone and subject matter, will do much to dispel the idea that he was invariably a reluctant or reserved correspondent. Dorothy Wordsworth, by contrast, fills out all the details of domestic life which her brother thought it unnecessary to dwell on, and her letters add their own characteristic touches to the picture of the Wordsworth circle--until the final breakdown of her health.

328 pages, Hardcover

First published December 7, 1993

About the author

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a major English romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their 1798 joint publication, Lyrical Ballads.

Wordsworth's masterpiece is generally considered to be The Prelude, an autobiographical poem of his early years, which the poet revised and expanded a number of times. The work was posthumously titled and published, prior to which, it was generally known as the poem "to Coleridge". Wordsworth was England's Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850.