Charles Lamb and Elia

Charles Lamb (1775-1834), essayist, poet, humourist, critic, letterwriter and friend, has an enduring literary reputation. His Tales from Shakespear (1807) and Specimens of English Dramatic Poets (1808) were followed in 1820 by the first of his 67 Essays of Elia published in the London Magazine which made his literary reputation. Reading these essays draws one into Lamb's circle of friends, sitting by his fireside and enjoying the company of the most personal of English essayists.