The English Poems of George Herbert

George Herbert (1593–1633) is widely regarded as the greatest devotional poet in the English language. His volume of poems, The Temple, published posthumously in 1633, became one of the most widely read and influential collections of the seventeenth century. Almost 400 years after they were first published in Cambridge by the 'printers to the Universitie', in 2007 Cambridge University Press was pleased to present the definitive scholarly edition of Herbert's complete English poems, accompanied by extensive explanatory and textual apparatus. The text is meticulously annotated with historical, literary and biblical information, as well as the modern critical contexts which now illuminate the poems. In addition to the lively introduction and notes, this edition includes a glossary of key words, an index of biblical quotations, and the authentic texts of Herbert's work.

Newly edited accurate texts clearly laid out
Extensive annotation of textual and contextual information
Includes index of biblical references and glossary of key words

Reviews & endorsements

'A magnificent book, making Herbert's poetry intelligible to current readers and scholars and students, with an eloquent introduction finely characterizing his imagination and his accomplishment.' Helen Vendler, Harvard University

'Professor Wilcox and Cambridge are to be congratulated on having produced a superb piece of scholarship that is also inviting to those outside academia.' Contemporary Review

'A monument to perfectionism: the knowledge, intelligence and detailed scrutiny that Helen Wilcox has brought to the poems is matched by few of the many scholars who worked on him through the twentieth century.' Style

'This beautiful, scrupulously edited volume of Herbert's English poems is sure to be consulted by curious and thoughtful readers for a very long time. … [Pays] meticulous attention to Herbert's poetry.' Early Modern Literary Studies

'An excellent edition of George Herbert's vernacular verse which is a superb guide to Herbert's monumental art and fuses two qualities not always easy to link: empathetic humanity and intellectual rigor.' Journal of British Studies

'… this work promises to be the definitive edition of Herbert's English poetry for a long time to come.' Journal of Christian Literary Studies Group

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