Thomas Wright

This book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. So that the book is never forgotten we have represented this book in a print format as the same form as it was originally first published. Hence any marks or annotations seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.

This book contains a collection of political verses, venality satires and songs of social protest from medieval England. First edited by Thomas Wright in 1839, these so-called ‘political songs’ are reissued here on behalf of the Royal Historical Society. The collection provides a fascinating insight into medieval responses to contemporary events. A new and wide-ranging introduction from Peter Coss offers observations on authorship, audience, the means of dissemination and the use of the languages involved. The reader is brought up to date on the critical study of the poems and on their significance and potentiality for the modern historian and literary scholar. Professor Coss corrects Wright’s dating where necessary and puts each item into its full contemporary context, making these fascinating verses accessible to the modern reader.

First published in 1971. This volume written in 1868, is a collection of articles some of which appeared in 'All the Year Round', 'Chamber's Journal and the Star newspaper and looks at the topics of the working classes in their public relations, and the inner life of the 'great unwashed'.

First published in 1969. Part of this work was originally made public as articles in ‘Fraser's Magazine’ and the ‘Contemporary Review’. It deals with the working classes, their views and as 'New Masters' of the political and social situation.