This 1996 book lists all of the authors and books known to have been read by William Wordsworth during the years which saw the composition of much of his greatest poetry. It draws on hitherto unpublished research, and will be an essential reference tool for all scholars and students of Wordsworth's work.

Wordsworth’s Reading 1800–1815 lists all of the authors and (where possible) books known to have been read by William Wordsworth during the years which saw the composition of some of his greatest poetry, including Poems, in Two Volumes, The Thirteen-Book Prelude, The White Doe of Rylstone and The Excursion. The information is presented in an easy-to-use form, and includes dates of reading and full discussions of evidence. It draws on analyses of Wordsworth’s manuscripts contained in current and forthcoming scholarly editions of his works, and incorporates hitherto unpublished research into the poet’s intellectual development, including a thorough survey of manuscript materials. Together with Duncan Wu’s companion-volume, Wordsworth’s Reading 1770–1799, this is a most complete study of Wordsworth’s reading, and it will be an essential reference tool for all scholars and students of his work.