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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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William Godwin-husband of Mary Wollstonecraft, father of Mary Shelley, friend of Coleridge, Lamb, Hazlitt, and mentor of Wordsworth, Southey, and Shelley-has been recently recognized as an original moral and revolutionary thinker and a novelist of great skill, a man whose influence was far wider than is usually assumed. In a new biography of this flamboyant and fascinating character, Marshall places Godwin in his social, political, and historical context, traces the development of his ideas, and critically analyzes his works. "Marshall steers his course.with unfailing sensitivity and skill. It is hard to see how the task could have been better done."-Michael Foot, The Observer "An ambitious study that offers a thorough exploration of Godwin's life and complex times."-Linda Simon, Library Journal ... Read more

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The Ideas That Govern Our Lives.
Peter Marshall's biography is a masterwork. Godwin was the husband of Mary Wollstonecraft, whose daughter Mary married the poet Shelley and wrote Frankenstein. Godwin is not as well known as he should be. Precisely, he was the founder ofanarchism as viable social theory. Egalitarianl, social freedom advocate, republican, (Driving past Buckiingham Palace he said "There's a place worse than useless for a thing worse still.") Deist and anti-christian.
"when shall the mind of man again be free, shake off the chains that fasten it to its dungeon, and soar unrestrained in his native element"
This book is brimming with erudition and is indispensable to anyone studying the men or the age. ... Read more

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An anthology of his writings edited by Peter Marshall. ... Read more

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'Anarchistic' or ' Person centred '?
Godwin was writing more than two hundred years ago, and yet when you read his writings in this book his 'philosophy' was certainly not anarchistic as we would understand it, it WAS revolutionary and probably disturbed a lot of people. But I see his beliefs to be the person-centred concepts that people such as Carl Rogers expressed a hundred and fifty years later. As as example:

"All education is despotism. It is perhaps impossible for the young to be conducted without introducing in many cases the tyranny of implicit obedience. Go there; do that; read; write; rise; lie down; will perhaps for ever be the language addressed to youth by age." ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Magic; Witchcraft; Body, Mind ... Read more

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When honest young Caleb Williams comes to work as a secretary for Squire Falkland, he soon begins to suspect that his new master is hiding a secret. As he digs deeper into Falkland’s past and finally unearths the horrible truth, the results of his curiosity prove calamitous when—even though Caleb has loyally sworn never to disclose what he has discovered—the Squire enacts a cruel revenge. A tale of gripping suspense and psychological power, William Godwin’s novel creates a searing depiction of the intolerable persecution meted out to a good man in pursuit of justice and equality. Written to expose the political oppression and corrupt hierarchies its author saw in the world around him, Caleb Williams makes a radical call to end the tyrannical misuses of power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Classic psycological thriller
Caleb Williams is a much overlooked novel these days, though when reading it, it's impossible not to see it's influence on modern crime drama--especially the "innocent acused" motif.Aside from that obvious influence, the novel as well as the author went on to influence a wide range of writers, from classic Vitorian novelists to the modern thriller writer (even if some weren't aware of it).But influence alone is not always a good reason to read something.
One word I've heard quite often to describe this story is "fierce."It's a good term for not only the story, but the concept Godwin was trying to express.Justice is a fierce thing, but no where near as fierce as injustice; and that's truly what this story is driven by: injustice.Mr. Falkland evades justice and Caleb cannot seem to find it.Caleb becomes a criminal, hunted for a crime he did not commit.
But Caleb Williams is a few things beyond the basic plot, which one can read directly from Amazon.It is a psycological novel.Throughout the story we are inside the mind of Caleb, and it is a stunning picture he paints of himself and of others.But I for one couldn't help but question the honesty of that picture.Even in the first Volume when he is recounting the early life of Mr. Falkland, we cannot be sure that there isn't something Caleb neglected to tell us or something he purposely changed.For that, the novel is a perfect study for anyone looking for unreliable narrators.Also, the novel is philosophical.Thoroughout we are feed lines about justice, humanity, and other morals the author wants to convey.This should be little of a problem for most people, considering the things Godwin is propogating are almost universaly considered proper today.
I do have one complaint about the book, which is this: Godwin is too wordy in his style.I love novels from this period, so I'm used to their general style, but Godwin's style is more akin to a philosophical essay than a novel.It can be disracting, and often I would go from completely enthralled to completely bored in the middle of a paragraph.This is the most notable in the first volume, but the story picks up heavy pace in the second, with a few lulls.By the time the third volume begins, it becomes very hard to put down until the end.

Powerful Exploration of Crime and Punishment
The real question is who committed the crime and who is being punished. This novel is proof to the old saying that the more things change the more they stay the same. The powerful bring down the less powerful then as now. This strongly written novel should be mandatory reading, particularly those interested in writers such as Poe and Dickens. Godwin had great influence on their later writings and was instrumental in the evolution of modern day mysteries and detective stories.

Hard to get into, but very satisfying
This is another of my text books, and one I found almost impossible to finish. Don't get me wrong, the tale itself is exceedingly compelling. I guess I should try to explain my feelings about this book, which were powerful. Maybe it comes from being an American, and a liberal one at that, or maybe it's in my blood, as my mother says, but I have an over-developed sense of justice, or right and wrong. I cannot tolerate the idea of one person abusing their power to oppress another person. The very thing sickens me to an alarming extent. While reading about the outrageous persecution of poor Caleb, and the willful blindness of the people around him, I actually had a strong desire to punch the book, to literally punch it. I wept with frustration as I witnessed the injustices that the poor young man was made to suffer, and I almost gave up on it completely (while risking a bad grade in my English Romantic Literature class) because I felt that it was ruining my peace of mind.

In terms of the basics, this book has well-developed characters, evocative settings, and the story reads at a furious pace. Many people have reacted in a similar way to this book, and I believe that is the intention of its author. Godwin wanted people to react to this book because he wanted to change the statusquo . Although this book upset me greatly, I have to allow that it did its job. I believe this book is valuable, not only as a piece of great literature, but also as a reminder of the inequalities that still exist in our society today, and of what millions of people suffered at the hands of everyday tyrants not that long ago.

Man is the only common foe of man
This novel is a forceful combination of political / social / judicial criticism, thriller elements and a powerful investigation into the real nature of man.

Politically, the author castigates the chasm between what one ought to do and reality: `We that are rich must do every thing in our power to lighten the yoke of these unfortunate people. We must not use the advantage that accident has given us with an unmerciful hand.' Nevertheless, `wealth and despotism easily know how to engage those laws as the coadjutor of their oppression, which were perhaps at first intended for the safeguards of the poor.'
Justice is totally biased: `Mr. Falkland is a man of rank and fortune; he is your master. I am a poor country lad without a friend in the world. That is a ground of real difference ...but it is not a sufficient ground for the subversion of justice.'
But, `law has neither eyes, nor ears, nor bowels of humanity; and it turns into marble the hearts of all those that are nursed in its principle.'
Socially, the system is fundamentally corrupt, a synonym for `tyranny and perfidiousness exercised by the powerful members of the community against those who were less privileged than themselves.'

Godwin's vision of the world is pessimistic: `Accursed world! that hates without a cause' that overwhelms innocence with calamities which ought to be spared even to guilt! Accursed world! dead to every manly sympathy; with eyes of horn, and hearts of steel!'
His picture of fundamental human selfishness, of pure evil and of despotic and resentful emotions and actions is impressive. He is baffled by man's `hero'worship: `Man is surely a strange sort of creature, who never praise any one more heartily than him who has spread destruction and ruin over the face of nature.'
He sees however one bright spot: freedom of the mind: `The mind is master of itself; and is endowed with powers that might enable to laugh at the tyrant's vigilance.'

The novel has one minus point: its final with an ultimate reversal in the psychological warfare. It seems incredible and improbable (a destruction by suspicion).
However, it is a very compelling read, a real discovery.

Not to be missed.
... Read more

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Memoirs of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Woman is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by William Godwin is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of William Godwin then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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William Godwin, also known as Edward Baldwin and Theophilus Marcliffe, (1756-1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and one of the first modern proponents of philosophical anarchism. He is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its Influence on Modern Morals and Happiness (1793), an attack on political institutions, and Caleb Williams; or, Things as They Are (1794), which attacks aristocratic privilege, but also is virtually the first mystery novel. He wrote prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his life time. With his wife, Mary Jane Clairmont, he wrote children's primers on Biblical and classical history, which he published along with such works as Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales From Shakespeare. He also has had considerable influence on British literature and literary culture. His other works include Memoirs of the Author of 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1798), Life of Chaucer (1803), Cloudesley (1830) and Deloraine (1833). ... Read more

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We all know why THIS one's out of print!!!
As Isaac Kramnick remarks in his introduction, there are many 'schools' of political thought and one should ideally start at their beginnings. Libertarian? Locke. Communism? Marx. Anarchism? Proudhorn?....No. Godwin. This is the first book that I know of to advocate a society without a state. Unfortunately, the reasoning is too bizzarre to be practical and unfortunately for Godwin, time disproved most of this books contents.

Godwin's view of human nature is wrong. His view of the determinism (the nature around us is determined, so we have to be.) is immature. He mauls the definitions of 'voluntary' and 'involuntary' action beyond recognition. The good part, honestly, was his critique on existing governments. Very astute, unless you consider that Montesquieu made identical observations several years befor Godwin was born. Still, if you've not read or don't want to read Montesquieu, Godwin's is a forcefully stated, action-packed polemic.

His view of a stateless society based on a jejune faith in honesty of all people everywhere is extremely naive and one wonders why Godwin, who doesn't have faith in government or the ruled people (yes, even in democracies) could have faith in peoples capacities for honesty and the self-government that it entails.

Alas, I gave this two stars because of it's originality, it's contributions to anarchism (a movement that produces an adequate thinker from time to time) and most importantly, as an historically interesting contrast to Rousseau and Montesquieu who predated this book and Proudhorn, Goldman and even Marx who followed it. ... Read more

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In William Godwin's dark psychological novel of paranoia and persecution, the eponymous hero is a guileless young servant who enters the employment of Ferdinando Falkland, a cosmopolitan and benevolent country gentleman. Falkland is subject to fits of unexplained melancholy, and Caleb becomes convinced that he harbors a dark secret. His discovery of the truth leads to false accusations against him, and a vengeful pursuit as suspenseful as any thriller.The novel is also a powerful political allegory, inspired by the events of the decade following the French Revolution. This is the first paperback edition to reproduce the first edition (1794), restoring the original, highly topical novel written during the political crisis of 1793-4 when the British government clamped down on the burgeoning reform movement. The edition is further enhanced byPamela Clemit's comprehensive introduction outlining the novel's contemporary reception, its historical and literary contexts, and its alternate endings; three appendices highlighting selected variants between the second and third editions; Godwin's prefatory materials; and new up-to-date bibliography and explanatory notes. ... Read more

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This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: R. Bentley in 1835 in 504 pages; Subjects: Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Historical; Fiction / Horror; Fiction / Literary; History / General; Body, Mind & Spirit / Occultism; Social Science / Feminism & Feminist Theory; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Gothic
Loved this Gothic tale of an alchemist who invents a way to live for ever, then later realizes it is a curse.Lots of dark castles in Eastern Europe, Spain and other "mysterious" places with references to real people and events from the 16th to the 18th centuries.Good writing, clever unpredicatble plot.

Not Godwin's Best, But Good Enough
William Godwin's 1799 novel, "St. Leon," builds on themes he and patterns he established in his first novel "Caleb Williams".Godwin's first concern, as always, is the way that the operations of government affect the individual.Godwin complicates the scenario of persecution, pursuit, and paranoia he worked with in "Caleb Williams" by giving his hero, Reginald St. Leon, a wife and children.Godwin goes deep into human psychology to explore how the vicissitudes of human fortune affect not only one man, but how his responses to the world affect everyone around him.

The novel begins in the early 1520's, at the very beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.The anti-hero is Reginald St. Leon, a landed aristocrat, building his name in war and society.As a youth, he develops an unfortunate penchant for gambling which places his family's fortune and his legacy in severe straits.His friend and advisor, a gentleman by the name of de Damville, offers his daughter to St. Leon.De Damville trusts that by settling down with a prudent young lady like Marguerite, he will abandon his wanton lifestyle and become the man that his noble house expects....

One day, St. Leon is approached by an old man who takes him into confidence, promising St. Leon a way to recuperate his fortune, on the condition that he tells no one what passes between them.Offered the ultimate prizes of alchemy, the philosopher's stone and the elixir of immortality, St. Leon is sworn to silence, alienating him further from his wife and family.The next three volumes of the novel show the catastrophic aftermath of St. Leon's new gifts.St. Leon wanders all over Europe, abandoning his family, trying to use his unlimited wealth to benefit mankind.His experiments are ill-conceived, though, and he ends up, like his predecessor Caleb Williams, a complete outcast to humanity, hated by his family, pursued by the Spanish Inquisition, and imprisoned by the Hungarian Turks.

More psychologically complex than "Caleb Williams," "St. Leon" gives us a broad range of characters, male and female, who are each affected by their contact with St. Leon.We are exposed by Godwin, in a time when nations measured themselves as good by the supposed evil of other nations, to a kind of social relativism.In France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Hungary, Godwin gives us, not only St. Leon's perspective, but forces us to consider 16th (and by reflection 18th) century international relations from the vantage point of each.

However, this diffusion and variety that contributes to the complexity of the novel, socially, politically, and psychologically, also detracts from the overall effect of the novel upon the reader.Where "Caleb Williams" drives straight through in a constant state of panic and terror, "St. Leon" has a looser structure, and as a result, moves much slower, and does not captivate or enthrall as the earlier novel does.Overall, "St. Leon" is an extremely interesting novel, and should appeal to fans of psychological gothic and historical novels. ... Read more

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This collection has been develop and optimized for use on the Kindle, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm, Symbian and other devices including your PC. It includes a hypertext Table of Contents for each title making it very easy to navigate the author and the works included. It has also been compressed so it takes up the least space possible on your computer or mobile device.

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Much more than the biography of a family. It is in large measure the biography of an era . . . The reader comes away with the feeling that he has witnessed a panorama of intellectual history which transcends the records of individual failures and weaknesses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Misleading title, excellent research
If you come to William St. Clair's "The Godwins and the Shelleys: A Biography of a Family" expecting, well, the biography of a family, you will be disappointed. This 600 page tome is mostly the biography of philosopher/novelist William Godwin, the political radical who married Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of feminism, and adopted her out-of-wedlock daughter Fanny. When Mary died in childbirth, William raised their daughter Mary, who later wrote "Frankenstein" and married the poet/philosopher Percy Shelley. A remarriage brought Claire Clairmont, Mary's stepsister, into the household; she later formed a liason with Lord Byron which resulted in the birth of their daughter Allegra.

With famous poets, radical philosophers, and the birth of science fiction as a genre in the mix, one would expect a heady story of literary experiment, brilliant writing, and daringly unconventional lifestyles. What we get is 600 pages of exhaustive research on the political milieu of England at the end of the Enlightenment, of in-depth discussion of the birth of philosophical anarchism (not to be confused with anarchy), and a dreary catalog of the poverty and cold-hearted tactlessness of William Godwin. Godwin, far from being the obscure philosopher he is today, is in this book the author of a host of troubles, mostly brought about by his rigid adherence to principle over reality. When his beloved wife Mary Wollstonecraft died, Godwin published her private letters and memoirs, to the scandal of all England. For the rest of their lives, her daughters would be known as the children of that scandalous advocate of free love, born or conceived out of marriage, raised by unprincipled atheists.

We can lay at least two suicides at the door of William Godwin's unyielding adherence to truth in the very teeth of the most hypocritical age of British culture. It was all very well for a man of independent means to evince principles that ran counter to the prevailing social norms, but Godwin neither knew nor cared that public espousal of those principles damned his daughters forever in the eyes of the world. St. Claire ruthlessly exposes the cruel and unfair reception of Godwin's ideas, his stubborn refusal to back down, his hypocritical "retractations" when poverty forced him to demand--not beg--money from rich men. Believing that money belonged to whoever needed it most, and that gratitude was evidence of false principle, Godwin nagged rich men for money and then carefully did not thank them for it. St. Clair neatly encapsulates Godwin's essential personality in a few pithy observations:

"Godwin's weaknesses were also his strengths. The stubbornness, the irrepressible persistence, the lofty disdain for commercial values, the proud air of certainty in his own genius, the arrogrant presumption that he stood outside events and would be judged against higher standards all enabled him to withstand anxieties which would have overwhelmed others."

When his most devoted disciple, Shelley, ran off with Mary and Claire and lived openly in accord with Godwin's famous principles of truth and free love, Godwin cut off all social contact--while continuing to dun Shelley for money. St. Clair's genius is that he can show us this inexcusable (by most standards) behavior as Godwin would see it; we are allowed into the head of a man who had no heart. St. Clair at times seems to be discreetly mocking his subject, but at all times he is scrupulous in documenting every nuance of Godwin's ever-changing and self-serving philosophy.

My only complaint with this book was that it gives extremely short shrift to those on whom Godwin had the most impact. His family's early history is given in detail, mostly because they lived with Godwin and therefore his history is their history. But once Mary, Claire and then Fanny are out of Godwin's house, they rate only a few paragraphs here and there. The famous literary party in Geneva in 1816, where Shelley met Byron, Mary wrote "Frankenstein", and Byron's doctor John Polidori wrote "The Vampyre", is almost completely ignored. Instead, we get endless minutiae on the due dates and amounts of Godwin's debts.

It is difficult to write a biography of an unpleasant person. Godwin was not a likeable or an admirable man personally, whatever one thinks of his reformist, radical politics. It is especially difficult, in an age whose values are determined by the middle class, to understand an age where the middle class barely existed, let alone set the tone of social and political discourse. St. Claire overcomes both of these obstacles with ease, while contributing some interesting new research into the sex lives of Godwin and his first wife, Mary Wollstonecraft. This is the definitive biography not just of a man, but of the transition from the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on cold reason, to the Romantic age, with its passionate commitment to sensation. The head wars with the heart throughout this book, and as St. Clair shows us, Godwin's allegiance all his days was to the head. The result is a cold-blooded, but clear-eyed, look at a radical past. ... Read more

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Caleb Williams
Damon and Delia
Four Early Pamphlets
Imogen
Italian Letters, Vols. I and II
Lives of the Necromancers
Memoirs of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Thoughts on Man
... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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William Godwin is one of the most important figures of the Romantic period. Interest in his life and works has grown in recent years, as has a concurrent interest in the theatre of the time. Godwin wrote four plays at the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries: St Dunstan (1790), Antonio; or, The Soldier's Return (1800), Abbas, King of Persia (1801) and Faulkener (1807). This book has two main objectives, the first being to provide the first comprehensive discussion of these four plays, situating them in their historical and political context, giving their publication and performance history where relevant and examining their relationship with Godwin's better-known novels. The second, broader aim is to consider the notion of theatricality in relation to Godwin's political project. The theatrical culture of Britain in the 1790s was intrinsically linked to the political climate of the day, and Godwin's writing was affected by this to the degree that his plays, novels and philosophical writings can be seen as part of a continuous train of thought.In drama he saw possibilities for the dissemination of political justice unmatched by any other means of literary expression. This book shows that any assessment of Godwin's political or literary legacy should now acknowledge the importance of his sustained commitment to drama. ... Read more

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This is a collection in eight volumes of the novels and memoirs of William Godwin, one of the foremost philosophers and radical thinkers of his age. There is a general introduction covering Godwin's life and literary works and each volume is prefaced by a scholarly introduction. His monumental work on government and individual freedom, "Political Justice", made him the chief philosophical exponent of English radicalism. Both his novels and his philosophical works were a major influence on Thomas Holcroft, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and others in the radical movement of the 1790s, and on William Hazlitt, Percy Bysshe Shelley and others in early 19th century literary circles. "Caleb Williams", "St Leon" and "Fleetwood" in particular, were widely-read and influential novels when first published. ... Read more

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From Introduction:

"The object proposed in the following work is an investigation concerning that form of public or political society, that system of intercourse and reciprocal action, extending beyond the bounds of a single family, which shall be found most to conduce to the general benefit. How may the peculiar and independent operation of each individual in the social state most effectually be preserved? How may the security each man ought to possess, as to his life, and the employment of his faculties according to the dictates of his own understanding, be most certainly defended from invasion? How may the individuals of the human species be made to contribute most substantially to the general improvement and happiness? The enquiry here undertaken has for its object to facilitate the solution of these interesting questions. In entering upon this investigation nothing can be more useful than to examine into the extent of the influence that is to be ascribed to political institutions; in other words, into the powers of man, as they have modified, or may hereafter modify his social state of existence. Upon this subject there has been considerable difference of opinion."

Customer Reviews (2)

More on this horrible reproduction.
First off, I agree with everything that the previous reviewer said, but would like to add some more information about how much you should NOT buy the BiblioLife edition of this book.

My major complaint is that the book is, in fact, in complete. The BiblioLife edition includes only volume 1 of what was originally published in 2 volumes. Other editions available at Amazon.com include the full text of the book, whereas this one is only the first half. Nothing on the cover indicates that it is incomplete, so it's worse than just a poor-quality book; it's more like fraud.

Another notable flaw is that all footnotes are gone without a trace. I have just received another edition of this book and it is FULL of footnotes written by the author. Under no circumstances whatsoever should you buy the BiblioLife edition of this book.

The type is too small in this horrible reproduction
This review concerns the BiblioLife edition only, and does not address the content of the text.I just wanted to warn others that the type in this book is extremely small, small enough that many people may need magnification to read it.The book is actually a reproduction of an 1842 edition, and a poor reproduction at that: some of the pages are printed annoyingly askew, some pages have blurred text, and on some pages BiblioLife has actually printed the underlines and other marks made by whoever used the original copy of the 1842 edition.

This edition of Godwin's text is practically useless, and definitely not worth $20. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more