Memoir of Mrs Barbauld: Including Letters and Notices of her Family and Friends

Anna Letitia Barbauld (1743-1825), poet, educator and essayist, is now considered to be one of the most important writers of the early Romantic period. Included in her highly regarded works on literary, political, social, and other intellectual topics is the ambitious poem Eighteen Hundred and Eleven (1812), which condemned Britain’s participation in the Napoleonic Wars. She gained recognition for her influential elementary textbooks Lessons for Children (1778-9) and Hymns in Prose for Children (1781), which made her name synonymous with the instruction of infants. Her reputation suffered, however, from attacks by critics of her poetry and politics. This charming biography by Anna Letitia Le Breton (1808-85), her great-niece, was first published in 1874 and seeks to bring Barbauld’s name back to public attention and acclaim. It draws on personal recollections, letters, and other family memorabilia in the author’s possession.