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This Companion brings together a wealth of information about the perennially fascinating lives and writings of the Bront‰ sisters. In addition, wide-ranging articles enable the reader to see them in their literary and social context, and to trace their enduring influence on the work of other writers.

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This special edition of The Oxford Companion to the Bront‰s commemorates the bicentenary of Emily Bront‰´s birth in July 1818 and provides comprehensive and detailed information about the lives, works, and reputations of the Bront‰s - the three sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, their father, and their brother Branwell.

Expanded entries surveying the Bront‰s´ lives and works are supplemented by entries on friends and acquaintances, pets, literary and political heroes; on the places they knew and the places they imagined; on their letters, drawings and paintings; on historical events such as Chartism, the Peterloo Massacre, and the Ashantee Wars; on exploration, slavery, and religion. Selected entries on the characters and places in the Bront‰ juvenilia provide a glimpse into their early imaginative
worlds, and entries on film, ballet, and musicals indicate the extent to which their works have inspired others. A new foreword to the text has been also penned by Claire Harman, award-winning writer and literary critic, and recent biographer of Charlotte Bront‰.

This is a unique and authoritative reference book for the research student and the general reader. The A-Z format, extensive cross-referencing, classified contents, chronologies, illustrations, and maps, both facilitate quick reference and encourage further exploration. This Companion is not only invaluable for quick searches, but a delight to browse, and an inspiration to further reading.

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I have spent many happy hours dipping in and out and reading it over the last few months wondering where to start to extoll is virtues and joys This really is a glorious book, it is a treasure trove of information and a must have for all Bronte lovers. Random Jottings

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