The Wordsworth Blog

Jane Austen 200
On the bicentenary of Jane Austen’s death, Sally Minogue pays tribute to her ...

‘… the huge jaws seemed to be dripping with a bluish flame…’
David Stuart Davies tells how reading 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' made him a ...

Spinoza: America’s Founding Grandfather
American born Parker Lancaster delves into the depths of what the notion of ...

A Life Story rather than a Love Story
Sally Minogue reviews the National Theatre’s touring production of 'Jane Eyre' ...

Wind in the Willows
With a musical version opening in London, David Stuart Davies takes a look at ...

Dickens and Lawrence: A tale of two halves
David Ellis considers how 'David Copperfield' and 'Sons and Lovers' both fade ...

Celebrating 25 Years of Wordsworth Classics
It's a quarter of a century since the launch of the Wordsworth £1 Classic ...

Thomas Hardy - 177 today
Sally Minogue offers some lugubrious birthday reflections. ...

Tess of the d'Urbervilles
On the day of Thomas Hardy's birth, David Stuart Davies looks at the book that ...

Walt Whitman
‘O camerado close!’: Sally Minogue salutes Walt Whitman on his birthday ...

The Strange Fiction of Oliver Onions
Guest writer, author Stephen Carver, looks at the work of this master of the ...

Hamlet
Cedric Watts recounts his dealings with this most problematic of Shakespeare's ...

Little Women
Little Women and the test of time: Stefania Ciocia muses on a childhood ...

Robinson Crusoe
The Only Man on the Island or What did Crusoe do with Friday on Saturday Night? ...

The price of our Classics is going up
The retail price of our Classics and Children's Classics will increase to £2.50 ...

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
Our monthly newsletter looks at the completion - at last - of our new website ...

Will the real protagonist please stand up?
New guest blogger NUTS4R2 looks at the archetypal heroes of classic fiction. ...

The Hands Can't Hit What the Eyes Can't See
In the second part of his look at the film adaptations of 'The Invisible Man', ...

Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Part One of Parker Lancaster's look at the film adaptations of H.G.Wells' 'The ...

A Quiet Passion
A flawed labour of love: Terence Davies’s take on Emily Dickinson in 'A Quiet ...

Tales of Book Fairs Past and Present
We look back at another successful (but quite sober) London Book Fair ...

Father Brown
David Stuart Davies looks at the history of the ever-popular priest with a flair ...

J. M. Barrie – The Father of Peter Pan
David Stuart Davies looks at the author of one of the best-loved of children's ...

Eastwood in Nottinghamshire
David Ellis visits the birthplace of D.H. Lawrence ...

Lunchtime Drinking, Gin & Tonic & Book Fairs
This month's news from Wordsworth ...

‘All children, except one, grow up.’
In Part One of a two-part article David Stuart Davies looks at the perennially ...

Woolf Works
Wayne McGregor and the Royal Ballet re-imagine Virginia Woolf and her work - ...

H. G. Wells and His Literary Milieu at the Fin-de-Siecle
Linda Dryden of the H.G. Wells Society looks at Wells often difficult ...

Looking to the literary past for the post-truth
Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the US presidency has coincided with sales of ...

Here's some H.G. Wells history that will hit you for six
Here’s a good question for a pub quiz: Which well-known 20th century writer ...

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Sally Minogue salutes James Joyce’s ambitious first novel ...

Post-Truth: Word of the Year 2016
We consider a new career in falsehood, fabrication and forgery... ...

Wells in Free Flight
Laurence Davies looks at H.G. Wells fascination with flight and its depiction in ...

Annus Horribilis
Perhaps the best thing we can say about 2016 is that it is nearly over. We look ...

To Walk Invisible
Sally Minogue watches Sally Wainwright’s new drama about the Brontës ...

Mystery Murder and Mayhem at Christmas
David Stuart Davies explores classic detective fiction for tales of dark deeds ...

The Science Fiction Films of H.G. Wells Part Two
David Stuart Davies concludes his review of the film adaptations of H.G. Wells ...

Theatrical magic and thought-provoking choices in Sally Cookson’s Peter Pan.
Stefania Ciocia reviews the current National Theatre production ...

Here are our top tips for your classic literary Christmas TV viewing
While 2016 won’t be a vintage year for classic adaptations, there are still ...

Ford Madox Ford, Brexit and Trump
On Ford's birthday, Sara Haslam considers how he might have viewed the momentous ...

Meet the Author
We wrestle with the problems of working with a group of writers who have joined ...

What If… The science fiction films of H. G. Wells
Part One of David Stuart Davies' review of how Wells' classic novels have fared ...

It's been a bittersweet week for UK libraries
Perhaps there’s now a need for industry-wide cooperation to help stem the tide ...

Will the real father of 'modern' Christmas please stand up!
Where do our (often non-religious) traditional customs originate from? Two ...

Here's some classic literary Christmas gift inspiration - Enjoy!
We thought we'd end November with a bit of festive cheer in the form of some ...

OPINION: An apologia for classic horror
These are indeed dark times for horror fans, and not the good kind of dark, ...

No slumming for Danny Dyer
We look at the current popularity for tracing your family history ...

Everything you ever wanted to know about H.G. Wells
Durham University's Professor Simon James take us through the great author's ...

‘You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.’
On the centenary of Jack London's death, David Stuart Davies considers his life ...

Get ready for the year of H.G. Wells
The Wordsworth team have had a busy and exciting summer preparing our new H.G. ...

In Remembrance: Wilfred Owen
On Remembrance Day, Sally Minogue reflects on the way the people of Ors, where ...

In a momentous week for world politics, let's turn to Dostoevsky
Above all, don't lie to yourself ...

Wilkie Collins 'The Moonstone' - we review the BBC production
Wilkie Collins’ classic mystery novel 'The Moonstone', concerning the theft of ...

A less than towering 'Inferno'
Whatever the merits, or otherwise, of Tom Hanks’ latest outing as Robert ...

Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone: A cornerstone in the development of crime fiction
David Stuart Davies looks at ‘The first, the longest and the best of modern ...

Some thoughts on Remembrance and poetry
This week sees the start of the British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal to raise ...

Not Your Average Halloween Read: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wall-Paper’
Fans of vintage horror will find that this short story holds its own against ...

Everything you need to know about Halloween (unless you're Samhainophobic)
Millennial parents have taught their children that Halloween is purely a night ...

Villette re-imagined: We visit the West Yorkshire Playhouse adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel
'As the play got into its stride', says Sally Minogue, 'I began to see that it ...

Monty Python and the German philosopher (Frederick Nietzsche)
There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya 'bout the raising of the wrist' ...

The general public tend to know (at most) three things about Aleister Crowley
Amongst all this mumbo, not to mention jumbo, the fact that Aleister Crowley was ...

So which banned books have you read this week?
This week has been Banned Books Week. It sounds like it might be some sort of ...

F Scott Fitzgerald - Proving there could be a second act in American lives
F Scott Fitzgerald is now recognised as a great American writer and perhaps the ...

Here are the greatest novels ever written. Maybe
With the announcement of the Booker Man shortlist and the Mercury Prize taking ...

Travelling back in time with Joseph Conrad's Captain Lingard
This week we're very happy to say we shall be expanding our range of Joseph ...

Lew Wallace's Ben Hur: Much more than swords and sandals
Next week sees the UK theatrical release of 'Ben Hur'. ...

How Mary Shelley broke new ground with Frankenstein
Not only in gothic story-telling, but also in the form of the novel - David ...

Netflix and The Little Prince: A perfect storytelling match
The first-ever animated version of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, ...

Remember when printed books were dying? Not anymore
It seems that, in a Mark Twain style, rumours of books' death have been greatly ...

Somme 100: There is far more to Wilfred Owen's poetry than his battlefront verses
Dr Sally Minogue takes a look at Wilfred Owen's full range of work, from his ...

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: A journey of laughter and tears
David Stuart Davies looks at this ever-popular comedy with a darker side. ...

How novels and Hollywood re-invented the American Indian
Rich Hall's documentary Inventing the Indian was a fascinating look at how ...

Somme 100: Walking in the footsteps of Wilfred Owen
Sally Minogue visits the places where Wilfred Owen spent the last few days of ...

Your Starbucks coffee, courtesy of Herman Melville
Have you had your coffee this morning? Did you get it from Starbucks? If so, you ...

Beyond The Three Musketeers: The life and times of Alexandre Dumas
David Stuart Davies describes how his novels remain a continuing monument to his ...

The BBC's The Secret Agent adaptation is not your average period drama
Last Sunday saw the start of a new BBC period drama based on Joseph Conrad's ...

Will the real Lady Susan please stand up?
Today (Monday July 18th) marks the anniversary of the death of one of Britain's ...

We're wearing Proustian Rush by Chanel
Proust, author of 'A La Recherche du Temps Perdu' has a derivative of his name ...

What Kafkaesque times we live in
With Franz Kafka's birthday looming, never have his works been so relevant ...

The Battle of the Somme and the poetry that helps us remember
Sally Minogue explores the poetry of the carnage that was The Battle of the ...

Wilfred Owen and the old lie that's still told
Next Friday, July 1st, marks 100 years since start of the Battle of the Somme, ...

Cervantes - The Man of Madrid and Don Quixote
David Stuart Davies looks at a great comic novel that also functions as an ...

Happy Bloomsday to one and all!
We celebrate the annual celebration of anything and everything to do with James ...

What the Dickens is going to happen at the Euros?
Yesterday, June 8th, was the anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens ...

To capture the real genius of Through The Looking Glass you must read the book
The recent disappointing Through The Looking Glass movie revealed how difficult ...

Teachers are already planning, and buying, books for the next school year
We're seeing more demand from schools than at any time in recent years ...

Are you going Through the Looking Glass this weekend?
Pretty much every review is going to conclude that if you really want to go ...

Get ready for the second ever Sherlock Holmes day on May 22nd
Every day is a 'day', it seems, and Sherlock Holmes Day comes in the same month ...

Discovering the pleasure of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure
Professor Cedric Watts examines one of the Bard's most accessible and, in ...

Leicester City and the Grimm side of fairy tales
We’re willing to bet that the words ‘fairy’ and ‘tale’ have been used ...

Shakespeare 400 is well and truly underway - here are our highlights so far
Type 'Shakespeare' into Google and then hit the ‘News’ tab. It’s busy! ...

How Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book helped make the modern Disney, Part 2
In the second part of his essay on how Rudyard Kipling and 'The Jungle Book' ...

Shakespeare 400 is finally here!
For anyone who loves Shakespeare, it's a wonderful time and excuse to wallow in ...

The 21st of April 2016 marks 200 years since the birth of Charlotte Brontë
Sally Minogue revisits Haworth and reflects on the life and work of the author. ...

How Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book helped make the modern Disney, Part 1
Parker Lancaster analyses the links between the famous author and the ...

Brontë 200 is almost upon us - Just don't forget Bramwell!
We anticipate the forthcoming big event ...

When a man is tired of the London Book Fair, he is tired of life
It's that time of year again... ...

Shakespeare: Still Relevant?
To start our commemoration of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's death, ...

Virginia Woolf: January 25th 1882 - March 28th 1941
Sally Minogue considers the mental illness that had such an impact on the ...

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
David Stuart Davies looks at a title that has been one our best sellers over the ...

Celebrating Ireland's classic literary legacy - James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and more
The lineage of great Irish novelists and playwrights is well known and widely ...

Chicago, Walden & Civil Disobedience
Henry Claridge looks back to Chicago in 1970 to highlight the ongoing influence ...

Move Over Harry Potter, Here Are The 13 Classic Children’s Books EVERY Adult Should Read
With their big themes and grown-up subtexts here are 13 classics you should have ...

Dickensian - The Finale
Sally Minogue reflects on the series as it comes to an end ...

A Tale of Two Cities - 'It was the best of tales...'
As 'Dickensian' nears its end, David Stuart Davies is the last of our guest ...

War and Peace - The Epilogue
As the fog of war clears from this lavish adaptation, Henry Claridge assesses ...

New Release: Lassie Come-Home
To coincide with our publication, Nichola Trayler Barbrook takes a personal look ...

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Reader
Stefania Ciocia looks at 'David Copperfield, Dickens' 'favourite child'. ...

Little Dorrit
Continuing our 'Dickensian' series, Keith Carabine looks at 'Humbug' in 'Little ...

Dickensian - We review the BBC's series so far
Sally Minogue reflects on the television series so far. ...

Great Expectations - Looking back at Dickens's penultimate completed novel
Continuing our 'Dickensian' theme, Sally Minogue looks at one of the author's ...

War and Peace
With the new BBC series imminent, Henry Claridge looks at problems of adapting ...

Sherlaugh Holmes or Amusing, My Dear Watson
David Stuart Davies look at the humour in Conan Doyle's classic tales. ...

Bleak House
Continuing our focus on classic Dickens novels, Lionel Kelly looks at 'Bleak ...

Don't miss these Christmas TV classic literary treats & tie-ins
There's a fantastic Christmas & New Year UK TV schedule in store for lovers of ...

Dombey and Son
To coincide with the screening of 'Dickensian', guest writers select their ...

The Spirits of Charles Dickens
David Stuart Davies strikes a Christmas chill with a look at the ghost stories ...

LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS FROM WORDSWORTH EDITIONS
Presents for the book-lovers in your life ...

A Christmas Carol
Malcolm Andrews, editor of 'The Dickensian', tells the story of this much-loved ...

Around the Word in Eighty Days
With a new stage show hitting London's West End, David Stuart Davies looks at ...

Lights, Camera, Sherlock: Part Four
David Stuart Davies concludes his series with a look at the modern portrayals of ...

Lights, Camera, Sherlock: Part Three
In Part Three, David Stuart Davies looks at the work of Basil Rathbone and Peter ...

Lights, Camera, Sherlock: Part Two
David Stuart Davies continues his series on Holmes on stage and screen. ...

Adult readers and the child's perspective in the 'Alice In Wonderland' books
Dr Stefania Ciocia looks at how adults and children interpret the Alice stories ...

The 150th anniversary of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Carroll’s “ideal child-friend” - Dr Stefania Ciocia writes on what our ...

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists: still a huge influence on socialist activism today
Next month will mark 101 years since the first publication of this socialist ...

Lights, Camera, Sherlock: Part One
The history of the media career of the world’s most famous detective in four ...

Lady Chatterley’s Lover: the expurgated version
Sally Minogue reviews last night's TV broadcast ...

Lady Chatterley - A Woman's View
Decried by feminist writers in the 1970s, D.H.Lawrence's status is reassessed by ...

Is it a book that you would even wish your wife or your servants to read?
David Stuart Davies considers the history and impact of 'Lady Chatterley's ...

Lady Chatterley’s Lover: found innocent
In the first of a series of articles on this ever-controversial classic, Sally ...

Blood is the Life - Part Two
David Stuart Davies concludes in a similar vein. ...

Blood is the Life - Part One
David Stuart Davies looks into the history of the Vampire story. ...

Still unequal after all this time
Sally Minogue reflects on Elizabeth Gaskell and Elizabeth Barrett Browning ...

A DEFT TOUCH OF THE MACABRE - PART TWO
The final part of David Stuart Davies' appreciation of Sheridan LeFanu ...

A DEFT TOUCH OF THE MACABRE - PART ONE
David Stuart Davies looks at the work of a rather neglected master of his art, ...

Unsettling Dark Pleasures - Part Two
The conclusion of David Stuart Davies' history of Gothic fiction ...

Unsettling Dark Pleasures - Part One
A short history of Gothic fiction in two parts by David Stuart Davies ...

Gore by Proxy Part Two
The final part of David Stuart Davies' story of the rise and fall of the 'Penny ...

Gore by Proxy Part One
Part One of David Stuart Davies' story of the 'Penny Dreadfuls'. ...

The 'Strand Magazine' - Part Two
The final part of the story of the 'Strand Magazine'. ...

The 'Strand Magazine' - Part One
David Stuart Davies reveals there was far more to 'Strand Magazine' than just ...

The Legacy of Sherlock Holmes - Part Two
David Stuart Davies concludes his review of the detectives that followed Conan ...

The Legacy of Sherlock Holmes - Part One
David Stuart Davies looks at at the fictional detectives that followed in the ...

BUMPS IN THE NIGHT
David Stuart Davies concludes his short history of the Ghost Story ...

Festive Humbug!
A seasonal tale of Charles Dickens and 'A Christmas Carol' by David Stuart ...

BUMPS IN THE NIGHT
Part One of David Stuart Davies' History of the Ghost Story ...

The King of Thrillers
David Stuart Davies writes on that most prodigious of writers, Edgar Wallace. ...

The First of the Sensationalists
David Stuart Davies looks at the work of Wilkie Collins - a pioneer of the ...

Unloading Hell
Sally Minogue looks at First World War poetry and the centenary of the outbreak ...

Writings dark as a raven’s wing
David Stuart Davies on the master of terror and pioneer of detective fiction - ...

ELIZABETH GASKELL’S HOUSE
Elizabeth Gaskell's house in Manchester is to re-open in October 2014 ...

A Journey into the Imagination
David Stuart Davies writes on the fantastic tales of Jules Verne.     ...

'Why I wept on first reading Conrad' - Part Two
Keith Carabine concludes his reminiscence of how he discovered Conrad. ...

'Why I wept on first reading Conrad' - Part One
Keith Carabine looks back to the origins of his life-long love of Joseph Conrad. ...

The Subtle Chiller
An appreciation of Henry James by David Stuart Davies ...

Elizabeth Gaskell
Below the benign surface of Elizabeth Gaskell, the author of 'Cranford', Sally ...

Into the Arena of the Extra - Dimensionals
David Stuart Davies looks at the work of H.P. Lovecraft ...

‘Children of the night… what music they make.’
David Stuart Davies writes on Bram Stoker ...

M. R. James – A Pleasurable Uncertainty
David Stuart Davies on one of the great writers of ghost stories ...

VIRGINIA WOOLF'S ORLANDO
A new staging of Virginia Woolf’s 'Orlando' at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, ...

THOMAS HARDY continues
Keith Carabine writes further on Mike Irwin's Hardy Introductions ...

THOMAS HARDY
Keith Carabine on the quality of Mike Irwin's Hardy introductions. ...

Anything But Elementary
David Stuart Davies reflects on the continuing appeal of Sherlock Holmes. ...

WORDSWORTH INTRODUCTIONS
Keith Carabine reflects upon our introductions in general, and 'The Great ...

JANE EYRE
Sally Minogue writes: Never judge a book by its movie... ...

F. Scott Fitzgerald
Henry Claridge writes on the pleasures of reading F. Scott Fitzgerald. ...

The Brontës at Haworth
Sally Minogue revisits the Brontë Parsonage Museum. ...

Charlotte Brontë
Sally Minogue writes on the life and works of the oldest of the Brontë sisters. ...

James Joyce
Cedric Watts writes on the pleasures of reading James Joyce. ...

William Shakespeare
This is not just Shakespeare - this is Wordsworth Shakespeare... ...

Virginia Woolf
Sally Minogue writes in praise of the influential English writer. ...