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Literary Collections Letters

The Letters of Thomas Hood

edited by Peter Morgan

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Dec 1973
Category
Letters, Literary, 19th Century
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487577940
    Publish Date
    Dec 1973
    List Price
    $76.00

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Description

Thomas Hood, 1799-1845, is one of the most notable minor authors of the late Romantic and early Victorian period. He began life as an engraver, and went on to write poetry and prose and to edit comic periodicals and annuals including Hood’s Magazine and New Monthly Magazine. His friends included Charles Lamb, Charles Wentworth Dilke, and Charles Dickens; his concerns, the provision of adequate copyright legislation and the plight of the downtrodden. Plagued by ill health and heavy debts, Hood managed to maintain his sense of humour and an affectionate warmth in his personal relations. Between 1835 and 1840 he lived in Koblenz and Ostende in an attempt to save money to pay his creditors in England. The letters he wrote at that time to his friends in London and to his family paint a vivid picture of the life of the English émigré.
This is the only edition of Hood’s letters; it is definitive and thoroughly annotated. It presents more basic biographical information than the Memorials edited by Hood’s son and daughter, or the biography by Walter Jerrold. It is a rich source of information about Hood, and about many of the other literary figures of his time.

About the author

PETER F. MORGAN joined the faculty of University College, University of Toronto, in 1961 and is at present Associate Professor in the Department of English.

Peter Morgan's profile page