Böcker av Leslie Stephen

The barrister James Fitzjames Stephen (1829-94) had a prolific literary output throughout his legal career. This affectionate biography, written by his younger brother, the influential editor Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), and published in 1895, gives a detailed account of the distinguished career of this leading Victorian figure.

Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), the founding Editor of the Dictionary of National Biography and writer on philosophy, ethics, and literature, was educated at Eton, King's College, London, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he remained as a Fellow and tutor until 1864, becoming an ordained priest in 1859. Doubt concerning his religious convictions set in rapidly, although it was not until 1875 that he formally renounced his orders. First published in book form in 1873, these closely argued essays challenging the philosophy of religious doctrine were written originally for Fraser's Magazine and The Fortnightly Review. Despite its cautious reception, the work established his reputation as a leading writer on agnosticism, paving the way for his later work The Science of Ethics. His interest in eighteenth-century thinkers is reflected in this work, with chapters on Shaftesbury and Warburton, and contemporary debate is explored in the essay on Darwinism and Divinity.

In this work of 1865, Leslie Stephen criticises the attitude of The Times towards the American Civil War (1861-5); also included in this reissue is a short article on the poet John Byrom (1692-1763), and an obituary of Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900), Stephen's personal friend.

Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) came from a distinguished family of politicians, jurists and writers, and was the father of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. His literary career began with writing about his great passion, the Alps, and he became a noted author and critic, and the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. He was a friend of John Morley (1838-1923), the general editor of English Men of Letters, who commissioned him to write three biographies for the first series, on Swift, Pope and Johnson. Stephen is very interested in the family connections and history of Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), the great satirist and moralist, and he blends direct sources with general conclusions in an informal style which makes the work (first published in 1882) of continuing interest today. Stephen's Sketches from Cambridge, published anonymously in 1865, is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Published in 1882, this book sets out the arguments of evolutionary ethics, which were inspired by Darwin's ideas on natural selection. It was widely adopted as a standard textbook on moral philosophy, and became one of the most influential publications on the subject.

In this two-volume work from 1876, Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) examines the revolution in thought that he believed had occurred in the eighteenth century due to the deist controversy. Volume 1 contains an account of the deism debate and discusses the work of philosophers such as Descartes, Locke and Hume.

This two-volume work, first published in 1896, brings together lectures given by Sir Leslie Stephen to various ethical societies, mostly in London. A broad range of ethical issues, including the role of such societies, politics, social equality, heredity, and crime and punishment, is discussed.

The English poet, literary critic, biographer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709-84) is perhaps most famous for his Dictionary of the English Language and the influential Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, and is often considered the most distinguished man of letters in English history. First published in 1878 in the first series of 'English Men of Letters', this biography by the eminent critic Sir Leslie Stephen traces Johnson's life from his childhood to his career as a writer and literary critic, and concludes with an overview of his works. Stephen describes Johnson's style as one of 'masculine directness', reflecting a life blighted by experiences of poverty and disease, and a desire to escape from pain. Painting a striking portrait of one of the most vigorous intellects of the eighteenth century, this work remains of interest to literary scholars today.

Blending history with literary criticism and general reflections with hard facts, this biography from 1880, which places the man in the context of his greatest works, remains a useful starting-point for the study of Pope, not least because it gives an overview of earlier biographies. Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) came from a distinguished family of politicians, jurists and writers, and was the father of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. His literary career began with writing about his great passion, the Alps, and he became a noted author and critic, and the first editor of the Dictionary of National Biography. He was a friend of John Morley (1838-1923), the general editor of English Men of Letters, who commissioned him to write three biographies for the first series, on Swift, Pope and Johnson. Stephen's Sketches from Cambridge, published anonymously in 1865, is also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge, MP and Postmaster General, Henry Fawcett (1833-84) was a radical supporter of both feminism and class equality. He campaigned for the widening of access to universities and the preservation of public open spaces, and oversaw the development of the telephone network. This biography, first published in 1885, was written by Leslie Stephen (1832-1904), Fawcett's contemporary at Cambridge, who later helped found the Dictionary of National Biography. Although their ideologies diverged later in their careers, Stephen and Fawcett's friendship lasted for over thirty years. Stephen, who was uncertain at their first encounter whether Fawcett was a Cambridge undergraduate or a farmer, gives a lively account of his friend's years at Cambridge and his successful academic and parliamentary career, achieved despite his blindness (the result of an accident in 1858). The book provides fascinating insights into the life of this often overlooked but remarkable politician.

This volume was originally published as part of the English Men of Letters series in 1902. This series aimed to bring a critical framework for reading and analysing novels to the large literate audience which had emerged as the result of mass education campaigns in the nineteenth century. Written by eminent scholars and combining biographical details with literary criticism, the English Men of Letters series was extremely successful and occupied a distinctive position in British literary education in the early twentieth century. Written by Victorian scholar and critic Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) this volume examines the life and literary achievements of George Eliot (1819-1880), the first woman novelist to be included in the series. Arranged around Eliot's published novels, the biographical discussion of her life detailing her domestic life and literary criticism of her works reveals late Victorian ideals concerning fiction and a respectable life.

Sir Leslie Stephen's Mausoleum Book