'The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day ...' Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' has been loved and admired throughout the centuries. First circulated to a select group of friends, it was rushed to official publication in 1751 in order to avoid pirated copies being sold without the young poet's permission. Praised by Samuel Johnson, reprinted over and over again in Gray's lifetime and recited by generations of school children, it is one of the most famous poems in the English language. This edition reproduces the exquisite wood engravings made by Agnes Miller Parker in 1938. Parker visited the churchyard at St Giles, Stoke Poges, where the poem is set, in order to make her sketches, and all thirty-two stanzas of the poem are accompanied by detailed full-page illustrations. Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the poet's death, this edition will not only bring new readers to the 'Elegy' but will also appeal to those already familiar with its riches.

Originally published in 1898 as part of the Pitt Press Series, this book contains 32 of Thomas Gray's poems, including his famous 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' and 'Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College'. Copious notes at the back of the volume explain Gray's many classical, mythical and literary allusions for readers, and a brief introduction gives an outline of the poet's life and work. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in English pre-Romantic poetry.

This handbook provides an in-depth account of the origins, style, and performance history of Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), universally acknowledged as Wagner's first truly significant, original work. Designed for scholars, performers and the opera-going public, the book examines the biographical impulses behind the opera's conception, its place in the composer's career, its literary sources and production history. There is also a detailed survey of how generations of performers have interpreted the musical score. Rare pictures from important and influential productions complete this invaluable guide.

This handbook provides an in-depth account of the origins, style, and performance history of Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), universally acknowledged as Wagner's first truly significant, original work. Designed for scholars, performers and the opera-going public, the book examines the biographical impulses behind the opera's conception, its place in the composer's career, its literary sources and production history. There is also a detailed survey of how generations of performers have interpreted the musical score. Rare pictures from important and influential productions complete this invaluable guide.

Text and facing translation of one of the most important chronicles of medieval England. In 1355, Sir Thomas Gray, a Northumbrian knight and constable of Norham castle, was ambushed and captured by the Scots. Imprisoned in Edinburgh castle, he whiled away the hours by writing a chronicle charting the history of Britain from the Creation. The bulk of the work, written in Anglo-Norman French, is based on existing sources. However, for the section from the reign of Edward I onwards - the portion edited here - Gray relied partly on his own memories, and the stories told him by his father (constable of Norham before him), relating their experiences in the Scottish and French wars. The first known historical work to have been written in England by a member of the lay nobility since the Conquest, the Scalacronica provides a unique perspective on the course of English politics in the fourteenth century, and an insight into the worldview of a militarily active member of England's governing class.It is a vital source for all those interested in the history of the period. The text, with facing-page translation, has been newly edited from the sole surviving manuscript of the Scalacronica; the volume includes extensive historical notes; and an introduction describing the careers of Thomas Gray and his father, and the written sources used in the compilation of this part of the work.