Christmas Day 2021 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of writer Dorothy Wordsworth, younger sister of poet William Wordsworth. Dorothy’s reputation as a writer was long overshadowed by her brother, but with the publication of her diaries and letters in the mid-twentieth century, scholars and critics have re-evaluated the importance of her writing and …
This week marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott, born in Edinburgh on August 15, 1771. Scott was one of the most popular English language authors of 19th century, whose work was frequently reprinted in both Great Britain and the USA. His Romantic poetry and historical novels …
In 19th century England, periodicals were a popular and cost-effective way for readers to gain access to literary material, whether prose or fiction. Special Collections actively adds new periodicals and serials to the Victorian and other British literary collections. Here are two recent acquisitions featuring the work of major 19th century literary figures: The Friend …
This nondescript book in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections recently turned 200. John Keats’ final book, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, and other Poems, was published in early July 1820. The collection – now considered one of the most important works of poetry in all of English literature – includes such famous …
Among the recent acquisitions made for the Robert Burns Collection and Rowe Collection of William Wordsworth are two first editions of famous works of English Romanticism. Pictured is the first volume of The Scots Musical Museum, a collection of Scottish folk songs published 1787-1803. Burns collaborated with Edinburgh music publisher James Johnson to gather songs …
English poet John Keats published his famous long poem Endymion in the spring of 1818. The first literary reviewers hated it, but over the centuries, the poem and poet’s legacy has grown and it’s now a staple of English poetry anthologies. Even if you’ve never read Endymion, you probably know its first line: “A thing …
This month’s Special Collections lobby exhibit, “The Willing Suspension of Disbelief,” is devoted to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” from its first appearance in the 1798 Lyrical Ballads (shown here) to modern illustrated editions. And, since it’s National Poetry Month, you’re invited to a dramatic reading of the poem by the …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections has acquired extensive collections of Romantic-era authors Robert Burns and William Wordsworth, but there are many other examples of Romantic literature to be found in our vaults. Special Collections Fall 2016 intern Rachel Rackham has put together a guide listing our earliest editions of major Romantic poets like Byron, Coleridge, …
July marks the 200th anniversary of the first appearance of Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Waverley. Scott had already found great success with his poetry, such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805) and Marmion (1808), but Waverley was a runaway bestseller. It was first published in an edition of 1000 copies, which sold out …
Two hundred years ago, on Feb. 1, 1814, Lord Byron’s The Corsair was published. Byron was already a famous poet, and The Corsair built on the success of previously-published work like The Bride of Abydos and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. But one of the biggest selling points for The Corsair was Byron’s declaration in the preface …