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Part Three is the first-ever collected edition of the surviving letters written by Southey between 1804 and 1809.

Edited and Introduced by Tim Fulford and Carol Bolton

Part Three is part of the ongoing Collected Letters of Robert Southey (of which Fulford is co-general editor). It is the first collected edition of the surviving letters written by Southey between 1804 and 1809. Part Three follows the editorial conventions described in ‘About this Edition’ (http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/southey_letters/letterEEd.26.about.html) and publishes newly transcribed, fully annotated texts, bringing together in one place correspondence scattered between archives in North and South America and the United Kingdom. It comprises 850 letters, many of which are published for the first time or published in full for the first time.

Part Three shows the beginnings of Southey’s relationships with Walter Scott, with his editor William Gifford, and his publishers John Murray and James Ballantyne. It presents previously unpublished letters containing assessments of such writers as Wordsworth, Coleridge, Scott, Davy, Anna Seward. Southey’s own poems and prose works are illuminated; his understanding of the writing of his peers and his centrality to Romantic literary culture are also on display.

Commenting on topical issues, Southey’s letters report his involvements in contemporary politics and culture. They also remind us of how events that had national consequences were viewed outside the centres of power in Westminster.

Part Three is a TEI encoded Romantic Circles Edition, designed to be a stable online resource, convertible to future coding standards. It is fully searchable and is free to access. It is supported by AHRC and BA grants.