Product Description
A poignant portrait of the unknown Brontë.

As a bold and gifted child, Branwell Brontë’s promise seemed boundless to the three adoring sisters over whom his rule was complete. But as an adult, the precocious flame of genius flickered and burned low. With neither the strength nor the resources to counter rejection, unable to sell his paintings or publish his books, Branwell became a specter in the Brontë story, in pathetic contrast with the remarkable achievements of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily. Daphne du Maurier concentrates all her biographer’s skill on the shadowy figure of Branwell Brontë, and no reader could fail to be intensely moved by Branwell’s final retreat into laudanum, alcohol—and death.

Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) wrote more than 25 acclaimed novels, short stories, and plays, including Rebecca and The House on the Strand. She was also a passionate and skillful biographer. Now, her finest biographical works are being reissued in the distinguished Virago Modern Classics series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice to see this reissued
This is one of two works I've read about the puzzling life of Branwell Bronte, and this is the one you should read first. You'll enjoy it, and appreciate the more recent novel by Douglas A. Martin all the more for having this background beforehand. ... Read more

Product Description
For almost 150 years, the writings of Branwell Brontë, the tragically self-destructive brother of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, have remained largely inaccessible, scattered in incomplete manuscript form across the world's libraries and private collections.This is the first publication of two of the longest of Branwell's surviving manuscripts, The Life of...Northangerland and Real Life in Verdopolis. A prolific writer, Branwell's work took the form of chronicles detailing the activities of his central character, Alexander Percy, revolutionary leader and ruthless statesman.These two Angrian Chronicles, newly transcribed, reconstructed, and annotated under the editorship of Robert G. Collins, reveal the dramatic world of the Brontës' Angria, not from the more sentimentalized viewpoint of Charlotte, but focusing instead on the lawless and brutal society of Branwell's robber-king, statesman and self-proclaimed Lucifer.The stories suggest a detailed psychological description of Branwell's own tragic life, and indicate a significant influence on the work of his more celebrated sisters. Read for its own narrative interest, its biographical relevance, and for the many ways in which it reflects significant aspects of the novels his sisters later wrote, The Hand of the Arch-Sinner reveals an astonishing and neglected talent in the fourth Brontë. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The "Branwell Bashing" Era is Almost Over
This book contains two works by Branwell Brontë, both of which concern the mythological kingdom, Angria, which Charlotte sometimes (especially when they were children) collaborated on; however these are exclusive Branwell works, one being composed when he was approximately sixteen; the other when he was approximately eighteen.

The importance of this work was that it was the first commercially published work that showed that Branwell was not (as has been portrayed since Mrs. Gaskell's Charlotte Brontë biography) an alcoholic/opium addict from his Bradford artist's studio days (approximately May of 1839) until his death.

This work has been superseded byThe Works of Patrick Branwell Brontë, Edited by Victor A. Neufeldt, which contains almost a complete text of all Branwell's works, from the age of nine (when began the Glass Town (later Angria) saga) to his death. The problem with this work is that it is extremely expensive, containing three volumes and each volume being in excess of $100. I found it at a university library and have been slowly going through it.

This work (the Neufeldt text) also brought my attention to the massive Brontë biography by Barker (it was being written when published), which puts to rest much of the mythology surrounding the Brontës, everything from Anne Brontë's supposed love for William Weightman to the supposed debauchery of Branwell. Thank God Barker has finally put to rest the lies that have been perpetrated since he (Branwell) was laid in the ground. It is true that he took to drink and opium at the end due to the devastation of the Robinson family debacle, but the misery that woman--Mrs. Robinson--put him through would destroy any man, especially of Branwell's Byronic propensities; that from the age of about twenty until his death about ten years later it has been pounded into our heads with biography after biography that Branwell had his face submerged in a bowl of rum and/or opium, is, per Barker, an untruth. Further that Branwell's "debauchery" while he worked for the railroad led to his losing his job, is also a lie.

Speaking of the Barker biography, it is, to put it mildly, a masterpiece. Most biographies--nay all--fall into two categories: the highly pedantic and monotonic (99.9% of all biographies) and the sentimental (something such as Carlos Baker's Hemingway). This work falls into neither: it is obsessively (Barker's words) researched, but at the same time written masterfully: it actually has a STYLE of writing, that is, something that existed before the days when monotonic "objective" prose (i.e. what we are subjected to in most newspapers) was in vogue. It makes all other Brontë biographies, truthfully, seem like a joke, including the ridiculously researched Gérin biographies. I cannot praise it enough. If there are any "Brontëans" out there, I highly recommend this work. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first complete and reliable edition of the works of Patrick Branwell Bront' (excluding the letters), and fills the last remaining gap in providing reliable editions of the works of the Bront' family. Less than half of the prose, totaling over 500,000 words, has been previously published, and much of what has been published is textually unreliable or has appeared in largely unreadable facsimile reproductions. The edition increases the number of poems Branwell is known to have published to nineteen, eighteen of them before his more famous sisters ever appeared in print. In addition to the text itself, reproduced as Branwell left it, the edition provides (a) bibliographical information on the manuscripts; (b) glossing of names and literary and historical references; (c) textual information. The reproduction of the text as Branwell left it allows the reader to trace Branwell's adoption of various authorial personae-magazine/newspaper editor and publisher, travel writer, poet, dramatist, critic, chronicler, historian, military man, for example-as well as his "mode of composition" and development as a writer.
Volume I, covering 1827-33, appeared in 1997. This volume covers 1834-36, the period in which Branwell, focusing on the growing conflict between Alexander Percy, Earl of Northangerland, and Arthur Wellesly, Duke of Zamorna and King of Angria, produced the largest, most sustained body of written work of any comparable period in his literary life, totaling approximately 308,500 words of prose and 42 (37 extant) poems. Of the prose, approximately 241,000 words are published here for the first time. Volume III, covering 1837-47, is due to appear in 1999. ... Read more

Product Description
Mass market paperback by Avon, 1974. One of four glitteringly brilliant chilren, including his sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, Branwell Bronte was his own prisoner in a fantasy world from which neither drink nor drugs could free him. A biography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Scholarly Biography Of The "Missing Bronte"
I took a chance in purchasing this book given its give-away price, and frankly cheesey-looking cover art from way-back-when. I observed, however, that its author was the masterful Daphne Du Maurier, and, as a result I suspected this could be a true diamond-in-the-rough. Indeed, this is a stellar biography that tells the tragically-ignored life story of Branwell Bronte (both objectively and in scholarly fashion with supporting documentation such as the wealth of his own manuscripts written in his own hand - but signed by Charlotte?!). The book also provides heretofore unknown facts about Emily Jane, Charlotte, and Anne as well as the two older girls who passed away- one under mysterious circumstances. I only hope that a publisher, or editor, out there will consider a reprint edition of this work in a format that does its often astonishing and important content the justice it deserves.

Better than nothing and even better than that
Considering Du Maurier has an innate tendency to dramatize and take her readers above and beyond the clouds, I'm just glad she took the time to write this book. I find her interpretation of Branwell's life, though totally subjective, intriguing and a perfect read just as I'm about to fall to sleep at night. So little is known of him, that this book is a must-read, just because it exists. ... Read more

Product Description
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

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1886Original Publisher: Hurst and BlackettNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
A central work in Bronte studies, this contribution to the history of the family was first published in 1886 by a man who was both interested in filling in the details of Patrick Branwell Bronte's place in the story and in countering various injustices and inaccuracies of other writers.Although Branwell has suffered vivification by biographers and critics alike as a drunkard, opium user and insignificant literateur, the author evokes for us an entirely different picture of the tormented Branwell Bronte based in large measure on the evidence supplied by close friends and personal letters. This title is cited and recommended by the Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no 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 the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of 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. Volume: 1; Original Publisher: Hurst and Blackett; Publication date: 1886; Subjects: Authors, English; Biography ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no 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 the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of 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. Volume: 2; Original Publisher: Hurst and Blackett; Publication date: 1886; Subjects: Biography ... Read more

Product Description
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

Customer Reviews (2)

Thankful someone bothered to write a book about him
I find it curious that so little attention has been paid to Branwell. So I'm just thrilled that this book exists. I think that in order to truly understand the sisters, one must understand Branwell.

Once again, Branwell loses
This book is nothing but a horrid little compilation of other books, and Branwell's name apparently was used only to sucker people who were curious about Branwell into buying the book....This book is NOTHING. No Branwell insights. It doesn't even FOCUS on him. Rip-off, don't fall for it. Bad book. ... Read more