The Life, and Posthumous Writings, of William Cowper, Esqr.: Volume 4, Supplementary Pages
With an Introductory Letter to the Right Honourable Earl Cowper

Published 1803–6, this four-volume biography of William Cowper (1731–1800) brings together selected letters and poems.

William Hayley (Author)

9781108066938, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 November 2013

156 pages, 1 b/w illus.
29.7 x 21 x 0.8 cm, 0.39 kg

Successors such as Wordsworth and Coleridge admired yet overshadowed William Cowper (1731–1800). Troubled by mental instability, he retreated from both the legal profession and the woman he had hoped to marry, seeking out a quiet existence in the country. In spite of his struggles, he made a translation of Homer's Iliad, produced a considerable body of poetry, and maintained many epistolary contacts. This four-volume biography, compiled by his friend and fellow poet William Hayley (1745–1820), appeared between 1803 and 1806, bringing together selected letters and unpublished poems to illuminate Cowper's personal and literary life. Volume 4 (1806) is a collection of supplementary material, namely amendments to the previous volumes, additional letters and an index giving a short description of every letter's content.

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Desultory remarks
Letters
Circular letter
List of subscribers
Index to the letters.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB]