100 years of English literature

A new book with Brontë content:

1000 years of English Literature
Chris Fletcher
ISBN: 9780712358736
The British Library Publishing Division
Published: 23/05/2012

A beautifully illustrated book presenting the life and work of over 100 best-loved British writers
From the tenth-century manuscript of Beowulf to the work of such twentieth-century authors as T.S. Eliot, Ted Hughes and Angela Carter, this beautifully illustrated book presents a panorama of more than 1000 years of literature in English through original manuscripts from the British Library’s unparalleled collections.

Presented chronologically, the book describes the life and work of over 100 of the best-loved British writers, and reproduces manuscripts in their own hand. It includes such masterpieces of literature as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast and Laurie Lee’s Cider with Rosie. Whether written on parchment, vellum or paper, whether poems, short stories, notebooks, novels or diaries, these documents provide a unique record of the process of composition. Presented in large-format colour reproductions, they offer fascinating insights into the world of the writer at work and often reveal major amendments and corrections carried out during the course of writing. Chris Fletcher’s engaging text explains the significance of each writer and the contribution the original manuscripts make to our understanding of the author and their work.