Biographer E.V. Lucas deemed him the most lovable figure in English literature, but British poet, playwright, and essayist CHARLES LAMB (1774-1834) was unappreciated during his own lifetime. That Lamb is fondly remembered today is partly the result of the six-volume collection of his work edited and annotated by Irish author and critic PERCY HETHRINGTON FITZGERALD (1834-1925) and first published in 1875.

Friend to Coleridge and Wordsworth and author of all manner of delightful works from playful verse for children to insightful essays on Elizabethan drama, Lamb is a hidden treasure of English literature, as his entertaining writings reveal. Complete with Fitzgerald's commentary on Lamb's life and legacy, this is a must-read set for lovers of 19th-century English classics.

Volume V features Lamb's celebrated "Tales from Shakspeare" for children, stories contributed to "Mrs. Leicester's School," dramatic works including the tragedy John Woodvil and the farce The Pawnbroker's Daughter, and other sketches and essays.