Bristol Bells

First published in 1892, this is Emma Marshall's fictional account of Thomas Chatterton's troubled life, misdirected genius, and tragic death. Chatterton, as an 11-year-old boy, began publishing mature works of poetry in 1763. Before long, he was fooling the literary world by passing his work off as that of a non-existent 15th-century poet named Thomas Rowley. Brought up in poverty and without a father, he studied furiously and went on to try and earn a living from his writing. After impressing the likes of the Lord Mayor, William Beckford and John Wilkes, he eagerly looked for an outlet in London for his political works, but was unable to make a decent living and, despairing, poisoned himself at the age of seventeen.

Thomas Chatterton had a significant impact on many writers and poets including Coleridge, Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats; with a wealth of literature and poetry having been dedicated to him since his untimely death. Contents of this story include: “Longing For Flight”, “The Squire”, “An Elegy”, “The Letter Delivered”, “The Orchard Gate”, “The Sympathy Of Poverty”, “Consultation”, “The Songs Of Rowley The Priest”, “The Poet's Friends”, etc.

Emma Marshall (1830–1899) was a prolific English children's author of over 200 novels. Other notable works by this author include: “Heights And Valleys” (1871), “A Lily Among Thorns” (1874), and “The Cathedral Cities Of England, English Cathedrals” (1879). Read & Co. is republishing this classic work in a new edition complete with “Sonnet to Chatterton” (1848) by John Keats for the enjoyment of a new generation of readers