The Englishman's Library was an English book series of the 1840s, a venture of the publisher James Burns. It ran eventually to 31 volumes.
The title had been used already in 1824, for The Englishman's library, edited by E. H. L., published by Charles Knight. The series was announced in ambitious fashion in the British Critic. It was started by William Gresley and Edward Churton, with propagandistic aims; the works are still a source for the "condition of England" debate of the time. Gresley wrote six novels for the series.
Aims According to its prospectus, the Library aimed to "unite a popular style with sound Christian principles". The announced authors did not in fact all contribute.
Those behind the series were younger High Church men who wished to imitate some of the success of the Tracts for the Times. They were less hostile to the Tractarians than older, more orthodox members of the Hackney Phalanx.
List of volumes NumberDateAuthorTitleComment11840William GresleyClement Walton, or the English Citizen novel2 Henry HowardScripture History in Familiar Lectures (Old Testament)3 1839Simon Patrick, edited by Thomas Chamberlain The Parable of the Pilgrim First published 1664. Chamberlain was of Christ Church, Oxford and St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford.4Thomas ChamberlainA Help to Knowledge5 1840William Palmer A Compendious Ecclesiastical History from the Earliest Period to the Present TimeChurch history6 Thomas Ken The Practice of Divine Love7Robert Anderson The Lord's Prayer, a manual of religious knowledgeAnderson was perpetual curate of Trinity Chapel, Brighton8 1840Edward ChurtonThe Early English Church9Francis Edward Paget Tales of the Village vol. I10William SewellChristian MoralsBased on Sewell's lectures as White's Professor of Moral Philosophy.11 William Sherlock, Henry Melvill (editor) Public Worship: a Practical Discourse of Religious AssembliesPublished in 1681 against dissenters; and again in 1700.12Robert Isaac WilberforceThe Five Empires: a Compendium of Ancient History 13 1840 William GresleyThe Siege of Lichfield, a Tale illustrative of the Great RebellionNovel141840Henry HowardScripture History. The New Testament151841William Gresley Charles Lever, or the Man of the Nineteenth Century Novel16Francis Edward PagetTales of the Village vol. II17 Dorothy Pakington, William Pridden (editor)The Art of ContentmentDevotional work. It was first published attributed to the author of The Whole Duty of Man; in the 1840s this author was still widely identified with Pakington. The 1864 suggestion of Francis Barham that the author was Richard Allestree is now the scholarly consensus. Pridden became vicar of West Stow.18Francis Edward PagetTales of the Village vol. III191841 William Gresley The Forest of Arden, a Tale Illustrative of the English ReformationNovel20 Robert Isaac Wilberforce RutiliusNovel211842Francis Charles Massingberd English History of the leaders of the Reformation22 William Henry TealeLives of Eminent English LaymenContaining Lord Falkland, Izaak Walton, and Robert Nelson.23 Thomas Chamberlain (editor) Selected Letters241843 William GresleyChurch-Clavering, or The Schoolmaster Novel, in which he developed ideas on education251843 Henry FormbyA Visit to the East; comprising Germany and the Danube, Constantinople, Asia Minor, Egypt, and Idumea261843William PriddenAustralia; Its History and Present Condition271844Samuel Wilberforce A History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America281845Samuel FoxMonks and Monasteries: being an account of English monachism291845Edward WilsonThe Martyr of CarthageNovel301845William Gouan ToddA History of the Ancient Church in IrelandTodd was then curate of Kilkredy.311846William GresleyConiston Hall, or the JacobitesNovel
The Juvenile Englishman's Library Paget as editor started a children's book collection, The Juvenile Englishman's Library, in 1844. It was inspired in part by the success of Edgar Taylor's English translations of Grimm's Fairy Tales. The series ran to 21 titles. Later John Fuller Russell was editor. Volume 4, Popular Tales (1844), had translation of fairy tales by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, Wilhelm Hauff and Karl Spindler. Four volumes were by John Mason Neale.
References
External links Publisher's announcement 1841 (12 volumes):