This groundbreaking new source of international scope defines the essay as nonfictional prose texts of between one and 50 pages in length. The more than 500 entries by 275 contributors include entries on nationalities, various categories of essays such as generic (such as sermons, aphorisms), individual major works, notable writers, and periodicals that created a market for essays, and particularly famous or significant essays. The preface details the historical development of the essay, and the alphabetically arranged entries usually include biographical sketch, nationality, era, selected writings list, additional readings, and anthologies

Of the many attempts to discover Jack the Ripper's identity, few omit the name of James Kenneth Stephen, tutor to Queen Victoria's eldest grandson, fondly known as Prince Eddy. While Stephen superficially fit the profile investigators established, was he really capable of the demented violence perpetrated by England's most famous serial killer? This volume takes an in-depth look at the life and experiences of James Kenneth Stephen, examining the relevant evidence and attempting to determine whether or not Stephen could actually have been involved in the Ripper murders. Delving into what little is known of Stephen's early years, the work discusses his relationship with his mother and his family's struggle with a hereditary mental illness. It follows him through his formative years at Eton, which he considered his true home and where he was introduced to the Greek notion of homosexuality. The work's primary focus is Stephen's relationship with Prince Eddy, who also became a suspect in the infamous London murders. The way in which Stephen's life intertwined with those of Prince Eddy and Montague Druitt, another Ripper suspect, is examined in detail. Other incidents of the fateful fall of 1888 and Stephen's final surrender to mental illness are also discussed. Appendices contain Stephen's poetry and details regarding his family ancestry.

Part of the "Lives of Victorian Literary Figures" series, this set collects contemporary memoirs, biographies and ephemera relating to Oscar Wilde, Henry James and Edith Wharton. Editorial apparatus includes a general introduction, headnotes, endnotes and a general index.

Part of the "Lives of Victorian Literary Figures" series, this set collects contemporary memoirs, biographies and ephemera relating to Oscar Wilde, Henry James and Edith Wharton. Editorial apparatus includes a general introduction, headnotes, endnotes and a general index.

Anne Thackeray Ritchie, daughter of the author of Vanity Fair and step-aunt of Virginia Woolf, was also a fine writer. Based on new and original research, this enchanting and evocative memoir paints the world of Anny's intricate web of relations and friends: children's parties with the Dickens family, holidays with Julia Margaret Cameron and the Tennysons, intimate scenes with Browning in Rome and Ruskin on Lake Coniston. In addition we read about Anny's own inner life: her near-obsession with her father: William Makepeace Thackeray, her escape into writing, her startling marriage to her second cousin and her godson, and the story of her sister Minny's passionate marriage to Leslie Stephen. We also learn of Stephen's second wife, Julia Jackson, mother of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. Meticulously researched, this intimate story draws not only on a wealth of letters, journals, hitherto unpublished sketches and photographs, but also on family legends passed down to the author through four generations. Illuminating, comic and touching, Anny reads like a novel, presenting a unique portrait of the rich literary world that formed the bridge between the Victorians and Bloomsbury.