These six essays comprise the first extensive reappraisal of Charles Lever for over fifty years. Once regarded as the equal of Dickens, Thackeray and Trollope, Lever's public turned against him when he changed his style and genre after making his name with comic military tales. He was a shrewd observer of character - especially women - and he has a fine ability to correlate character with environment. His later novels manifest a much more serious and crafted approach to fiction. Lever's turbulent and unsettled life was divided between Ireland and the continent and his contribution to Anglo-Irish literature is an unusual one. The aim of this publication is to revive interest in Lever and encourage the reading of his novels.

0-86140-340-1 Hardback 142pp illustrated section £25.00