Poetical Works

Thomas Gray and William Collins, two of the 18th century's best known poets, continue to enjoy both a wide readership and critical respect. Besides his classic work, "Elegy in a Country Churchyard," Gray is known for the formal grace possessed by some poems, as well as the haunting romantic power of others while Collins is chiefly recognized for the odes which reveal his exceptional gift for delicate lyrical writing. In this edition of the poems of Gray and Collins, the text--which carefully retains the authors' original spelling and punctuation--has been completely revised and reset, and Gray's poems have been placed in chronological order of composition. In addition, the book features a critical introduction and explanatory head-note for each selection, chronologies of Gray and Collins, and a select bibliography.