Charles Lamb

Charles Lamb (1775-1834), essayist, poet, humorist, critic and letter-writer, has an enduring reputation for his early "Tales from Shakespeare" (1807), written in collaboration with his sister Mary, and his "Essays of Elia", first published in the London Magazine. This thematic selection of Lamb's writings - essays, dramatic criticism, verse and letters - not only demonstrates his literary achievements; it forms a self-portrait of the writer: generous, amused, and gregarious, finding imaginative escape from grim circumstances in the teeming life of London and the theatre. The reader is drawn into the circle of Lamb's friends, enjoying the company of the most personal of English essayists. J. E. Morpurgo's introduction and notes set Lamb's writings in their contemporary context.

Charles Lamb, one of the most engaging personal essayists of all time, began publishing his Elia essays in the ""London Magazine"" in 1820; they were so immediately popular that a book-length collection was published in 1823. Inventing the persona of ""Elia"" allowed Lamb to be shockingly honest and to gain a playful distance for self-examination. The resulting essays touched upon a wide range of compelling subjects from the humorous ""Dissertation upon Roast Pig"" to the poignantly reflective ""New Year's Eve"". Yet collectively, they also comprise a fascinating personal memoir, veiled under the pseudonymous disguise of Elia. This edition of the text features a foreword by Phillip Lopate and contains useful annotation throughout.

Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was written to be an 'introduction to the study of Shakespeare', but are much more entertaining than that. All of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, comic and tragic, are retold in a clear and robust style, and their literary quality has made them popular and sought-after ever since their first publication in 1807. This edition contains the delightful pen-and-ink drawings of Arthur Rackham.

All of the available letters of Charles Lamb, a master of the English essay, and his sister Mary Anne published in this definitive, scrupulously edited work. The letters, many of them written to illustrious figures of the Romantic period, are generally agreed to rank among the finest in the English language. Transcribing where possible from the originals or facsimiles, Professor Marrs corrects textual errors found in previous editions, and he pays particular attention to establishing precise dates for the correspondence. He includes letters that were omitted from the last collection (published in 1935 and long out of print), and he has uncovered more than eighty letters never published before. The Letters of Charles and Mary Anne Lamb totals five or six volumes, and presents nearly 1200 letters written by Charles and Mary, singly or together. The correspondence is fully annotated, the volumes are illustrated, and the holographic idiosyncrasies of the originals are rendered typographically wherever possible. Rich in revelations about the extraordinary lives of the Lambs, these beautifully written letters are an inexhaustible store of information about the Romantic era and its major figures-Wordsworth, Keats, and Coleridge. The publication of unexpurgated and authoritative texts is an important literary event.

All of the available letters of Charles Lamb, a master of the English essay, and his sister Mary Anne published in this definitive, scrupulously edited work. The letters, many of them written to illustrious figures of the Romantic period, are generally agreed to rank among the finest in the English language. Transcribing where possible from the originals or facsimiles, Professor Marrs corrects textual errors found in previous editions, and he pays particular attention to establishing precise dates for the correspondence. He includes letters that were omitted from the last collection (published in 1935 and long out of print), and he has uncovered more than eighty letters never published before. The Letters of Charles and Mary Anne Lamb totals five or six volumes, and presents nearly 1200 letters written by Charles and Mary, singly or together. The correspondence is fully annotated, the volumes are illustrated, and the holographic idiosyncrasies of the originals are rendered typographically wherever possible. Rich in revelations about the extraordinary lives of the Lambs, these beautifully written letters are an inexhaustible store of information about the Romantic era and its major figures-Wordsworth, Keats, and Coleridge. The publication of unexpurgated and authoritative texts is an important literary event. The first volume was published in 1975, the bicentenary of Charles Lamb's birth. It contains 102 letters written by Charles, many of them after Mary murdered their mother. Among the recipients were the poets Coleridge, Southey, and Wordsworth. The letters provide shrewd observations on his friends' writings and his own, vivid descriptions of life in London, and compassionate but candid remarks concerning his family and acquaintances. Notes to each letter place it in context, quoting where necessary from the correspondence Lamb is answering. Volume I includes Professor Marrs's extensive Introduction to the entire collection. After supplying a biography of the Lamb family up to the murder, he treats Mary's and Charles's life together until Charles's death, tracing through the letters a relationship that remained warm and affectionate even under the shadow of Mary's insanity. Professor Marrs also gives the publishing history of the letters and sets forth the principles upon which his edition is based.

This edition of The Essays of Elia reproduces Charles Lamb's classic reflections on English culture, faith and social life as it stood in the early 19th century. A much-loved figure of his time, Charles Lamb published numerous reflections on the changing and evolving nature of England's society. Gifted at choosing topics that were unusual yet capable of holding reader's interest, Lamb had experienced many facets of English life - educated at boarding school, his stutter meant he could not embark on a career in the church, so instead he worked in a merchant's office and later as an accountant for the East India Company. He also suffered periods of mental ill-health, and witnessed the brutalities of treatment in the madhouses. By all accounts an amiable man, Lamb's gifts for observation are borne out in his Essays on Elia. These writings concern things such as old churches, chimney sweeps, teaching, and events in commerce and trade. Social life, be it depicted by weddings, yearly celebrations or popular superstitions in witches or otherwise, also feature in Lamb's reflections. Throughout we find his humanity and good humor, as well as an informative portrait of a bustling England in the midst of industrialization. The author's Christian religion, and his knowledge of classic literature such as Shakespeare, are also presented. To this day, The Essays of Elia remain a well-rounded and unique window to the culture of England.