The Poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Edited by Derwent and Sara Coleridge. A New Edition

This edition of The Poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, edited by the poet's children Derwent and Sara Coleridge, reflects the ongoing Victorian effort to consolidate and canonize the Romantic legacy. By the mid-nineteenth century, the editorial work of the Coleridge siblings was instrumental in shaping the public reception of their father’s complex body of work, providing scholarly structure to a poetic canon that had previously been disseminated through fragmented publications and private circulation.

The editorial philosophy employed by Derwent and Sara Coleridge prioritized a comprehensive assembly of their father’s verse, aiming to rectify the textual inconsistencies found in earlier compilations. This edition served as a definitive reference point for scholars and Victorian readers alike, bridging the gap between the radical sensibilities of the early Romantic period and the more formalized literary tastes of the Victorian era. It remains a significant artifact for understanding how the poet's immediate descendants curated his intellectual and artistic memory.