Product Description: The twentieth century has been called 'the golden age of the modern manuscript,' a time when the historical value of early manuscripts as a record of a writer's thought processes came to be fully recognized. Drawing on the critical tools of French genetic criticism, Modern Manuscripts explores the development of early 20th century literary texts, from source texts and early notes, through successive draft manuscripts to publication and successive editions...read more

A lovingly illustrated survey of the greatest manuscripts of the English language takes readers on a fascinating tour of these influential texts, presenting reproductions of Beowulf, Sylvia Plath's collection of poems, Ariel, and Virginia Woolf's Dalloway, among many others. 30,000 first printing.

Product Description: From the 10th-century manuscript of Beowulf to the work of such 20th-century authors as T.S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, and Angela Carter, this beautifully illustrated book presents a panorama of more than 1000 years of literature in English through original manuscripts from the British Library's unparalleled collections...read more