Physical description

Charles Kingsley: His Letters and Memories of His Life Vol 1
Author: Charles Kingsley
Edited by his wife ( Frances "Fanny" Grenfell)
Publisher: C Kegan Paul & Co
Date: 1879
Further Information: Sixth Abridged Edition

Publication type

non-fiction

Inscriptions & markings

The label on the spine cover with typed text PAT 920 KIN.
Paste down front end paper has a sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library covered by a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Service.
Front loose end paper has a stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service.
Flyleaf has a stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service.

Summary

The focus of this book is not a standard biography written by an outside observer; it is a life story told through letters and personal journals. The volume is seamlessly woven together with editorial commentary by Kingsley’s widow, Frances "Fanny" Grenfell.
Because this is Volume 1, it covers the first half of Charles Kingsley's life. It documents his childhood, his time at Cambridge University, and his intense courtship of Fanny. His early career as an Anglican clergyman in the rural parish of Eversley is covered, alongside his rise to national prominence in the late 1840s and 1850s as a social reformer. The text highlights his role in the Christian Socialist movement and his writing under the pen name "Parson Lot" to advocate for the working class. It also explores the writing and reception of his famous early novels, such as Alton Locke and Yeast, which tackled themes of poverty and systemic inequality.