(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. This thorough examination of Dickens provides readers with a clear sense of his life and how it influenced his work--an impoverished childhood and years as a journalist and law clerk provided Dickens with the foundation for novels such as Oliver Twist. Reproductions of letters, manuscripts, photos, and engravings add interest and break up dense text blocks. Reading list, timeline. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. The author of Frankenstein led an unconventional life in the circle of Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. This biography, written in convoluted, academic prose, covers in unblinking detail Shelley's unusual marriage, the deaths of her children, the influences on her writing, and the themes of her work. Plentiful portraits, paintings, and manuscript facsimiles illustrate the text. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. The lives of the famous poet-lovers are detailed in this book. The text covers the pair's education, early writing, marriage, and life in Italy. Passages from poems and letters are included; cogent discussion analyzes the Brownings' writings in the context of their lives. Color and black-and-white reproductions of photos, paintings, and manuscripts add further interest to the volume. A timeline is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. Keats, the Romantic poet who died at twenty-five, two years after writing "La Belle Dame sans Merci" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn," among other celebrated poems, receives engaging biographical treatment. While little attention is paid to Keats's early childhood, the influences that led him away from his early training in medicine to a literary life are well documented. A chronology and facsimiles of manuscripts, letters, and paintings add further interest. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. This scholarly biography of one of Britain's most celebrated but paradoxical poets is well researched if a bit academic. Garrett draws upon primary and secondary sources and smoothly incorporates selected verses throughout the volume, as he examines Byron's poetry in the context of his brief, infamous life. Numerous color and black-and-white reproductions of paintings and engravings accompany the text. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. This accessible biography traces the life of the poet and leader of the Romantic movement in England. Hebron draws on primary and secondary source materials, including original manuscripts, letters, and diaries, to reconstruct Wordsworth's life. Engagingly written and well researched, the volume is interspersed with passages from Wordsworth's poetry and illustrated with historical paintings, photos, and sketches. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. An account of the life of the English novelist, essayist, and feminist icon is written in a straightforward, evenhanded but rather dry style. The book focuses on the period between her marriage and her suicide--years that included a voluminous literary output as well as frequent bouts of mental illness. Woolf's own writing, especially diary entries and letters, are included, as are many color and black-and-white photos. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. Archival photographs, color illustrations, and reproductions highlight this biography of the seaman who wrote Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness. The text, though dense and printed in unfortunately small type, similarly benefits from including many excerpts from Conrad's diaries and correspondence. A time line is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. Shellard organizes what is known about the great playwright's life and places that information in the context of Elizabethan England. The smooth confluence of biographical fact with the political and social climate of Shakespeare's time provides an intelligent, fleshed-out view of one of the world's most celebrated and complex authors. Color photos and facsimiles of folios and illustrations appear throughout. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA British Library Writers' Lives series. This authoritative biography of the author of 'Jane Eyre' is a scholarly but engaging introduction to Bronte's life and its parallels with her most famous character. From her childhood and schooling to her writing and marriage, Bronte's genius and complexity, as well as the many tragedies of her brief life, are revealed. Photographs and reproductions of letters and manuscript pages enhance the volume. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.