These essays comprise the first extensive reappraisal of Charles Lever for over 50 years. Once regarded as the equal of Dickens, Trollope and Thackeray, Lever's public turned their backs on him when he changed style and genre after making his name with comic military tales. He never captured his early popularity, but his later novels in fact manifest a much more serious and crafted approach to fiction and richly deserve revival. Lever's own turbulent and often unhappy life of social and cultural exile in Europe provides the hidden theme of many of his better novels. Continental and Irish settings and preoccupations are juxtaposed, making his contribution to the Anglo-Irish novel an unusual and challenging one. Lever is a shrewd observer of characteróparticularly of female character; few of his better-remembered contemporaries write with more insight about women; old, young, rich, poor; loving, hating, dominating, subjected. His eye for place is acute; Scott is his model, but Lever's ability to correlate character with environment is finely developed. His political observations are shrewd and balanced.

Regarded by Dickens at one time as a dangerous rival, Lever and his works have sadly suffered obscurity in recent times, though he was one of the most promising novelists of the Victorian era. This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works of Charles Lever, with hundreds of illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 2) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Lever's life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 29 novels, with individual contents tables * Images of how the novels were first printed, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Almost ALL of the novels are fully illustrated with their original artwork, including the famous HARRY LORREQUER * Hundreds of illustrations by Phiz, Dickensí famous illustrator * Includes Lever's non-fiction satires * Special criticism section, with two essays evaluating Leverís contribution to literature * Features the detailed biography by Edmund Downey - discover Lever's literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels THE CONFESSIONS OF HARRY LORREQUER DIARY AND NOTES OF HORACE TEMPLETON, ESQ. CHARLES OíMALLEY: THE IRISH DRAGOON OUR MESS: JACK HINTON, THE GUARDSMAN OUR MESS: TOM BURKE OF ìOURSî ARTHUR OíLEARY ST. PATRICKíS EVE THE OíDONOGHUE THE KNIGHT OF GWYNNE THE MARTINS OF CRO-MARTIN THE CONFESSIONS OF CON CREGAN ROLAND CASHEL THE DALTONS MAURICE TIERNAY, THE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE THE DODD FAMILY ABROAD SIR JASPER CAREW. HIS LIFE AND EXPERIENCE THE FORTUNES OF GLENCORE DAVENPORT DUNN ONE OF THEM A DAYíS RIDE BARRINGTON LUTTREL OF ARRAN A RENT IN THE CLOUD TONY BUTLER SIR BROOK FOSSBROOKE THE BRAMLEIGHS OF BISHOPíS FOLLY THAT BOY OF NORCOTTíS LORD KILGOBBIN GERALD FITZGERALD THE CHEVALIER The Shorter Fiction PAUL GOSSLETTíS CONFESSIONS IN LOVE, LAW, AND THE CIVIL SERVICE The Non-Fiction NUTS AND NUTCRACKERS TALES OF THE TRAINS CORNELIUS OíDOWD UPON MEN AND WOMEN AND OTHER THINGS IN GENERAL The Criticism LEVER by William Ernest Henley CHARLES LEVER: HIS BOOKS, ADVENTURES AND MISFORTUNES by Andrew Lang The Biography CHARLES LEVER, HIS LIFE IN HIS LETTERS by Edmund Downey Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles