The even course of this life, -outwardly placid, physically marred with weakness, intellectually and spiritually bright, vivid, and noble-was shaken to its foundations by the advent of Robert Browning. The story of the friendship, which ripened so rapidly into love, has been made the common property of the world through the publication of the letters which passed between them... -from "Chapter IX: 1844-1846" This beautiful biography of British poet Robert Browning explores his life and work through the prism of the correspondence he exchanged with friends, family, and colleagues. From his forbidden courtship with and secret marriage to his fellow writer, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, to his thoughts on the verse of Keats and Shelley, his travels to Italy, his outlook on the cultural and intellectual life of London, and more, this lovely work offers an extraordinary perspective on one of the most beloved poets in the English language. First published in 1891, this is a reproduction of the revised and expanded 1908 edition. ALEXANDRA LEIGHTON (1828-1903), aka Mrs. Sutherland Orr, also wrote A Handbook to the Works of Browning (1885).