Inspired by England's Lake District, William Wordsworth (1770-1850) created some of the best-loved poems of the Romantic period. In The Prelude he described his youth and schooling, and the death of both his parents when he was just a child. Wordsworth was separated from his sister, Dorothy, at that time, but was reunited with her in 1795. Her private diaries and cherished companionship inspired many of his works, and she lived with her brother and his family until his death. Together they formed a literary threesome with poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who lived near them for much of their lives.

In this fascinating biography, the author traces the details of Wordsworth's life -- his studies at Cambridge, his early travels in France and his passionate support of the French Revolution, his return to the Lake District, and his marriage and children -- that have such a presence in his autobiographical poems. Wordsworth's work had a tremendous influence on his contemporaries, such as Shelley and Keats, and on later generations of poets.

This authoritative introduction to Wordsworth's life and work is filled with a wide variety of photographs, portraits, and paintings, as well as original manuscripts from the British Library, the Wordsworth Trust, and other sources.