William Morris Library Series

Book 1

This work begins with William Morris's first-ever public lecture in 1877. It includes lectures, articles and letters, and ends with a survey of his life. This edition includes two reviews of books which were crucial to the development of his thought: More's "Utopia" and Bellamy's "Looking Backward".

Book 2

Sigurd the Volsung

by William Morris

Published 1 July 1994

Published in 1876, this is Morris's poetic retelling for English readers of what he called "the Great Story of the North", that of the hero Sigurd, which Morris regarded as at least as important as the better known Homeric stories. He based his energetic and dramatic version on the Icelandic sagas, at the same time that Wagner was using the German version, in which the hero is Siegfried, as the basis for his operatic cycle, "The Ring". Seldom reprinted, Sigurd is a poem to which Morris attached the highest importance.

Book 3

Hopes and Fears for Art

by William Morris

Published 1 July 1994

In his later years, Morris became an active and respected lecturer and writer on social and cultural themes, the successor to Carlyle and Ruskin. He published two volumes of these writings in his lifetime, "Hopes and Fears for Art" in 1882 and "Signs of Change" in 1888. Since it was in 1883 that he committed himself to Socialism, the two volumes read together show clearly the development of his political-cultural thinking. All the lectures deal, in clear and vigorous English, with issues of work, ecology and society that are still of central concern today.

Poems by the Way

by William Morris

Published 1 July 1994

Published in 1891, this was Morris's last volume of poetry. It includes poems of many different kinds, some written as early as the 1860s, others in the years immediately preceding publication. Morris's versatility is evident: there are romantic lyrics, ballads, Nordic tales, verses for tapestries, Socialist songs, sections from the political narrative "Pilgrims of Hope" and the remarkable story of "Goldilocks and Goldilocks".

Book 5

The Water of the Wondrous Isles

by William Morris

Published 10 March 1972

Series 2

The Hollow Land

by William Morris

Published 1 March 1996

Morris was not only the most prolific contributor to the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine but also its instigator, its first editor, and its sole financial backer. The introduction to this text provides the historical and biographical background to "The Hollow Land" and also reviews the century-long dispute over which pieces Morris contributed to the Magazine in 1856, including new information and argument aiming to resolve the dispute.

Series 2

Reform and Revolution

by William Morris, etc., John Carruthers, and Fred Henderson

Published 1 March 1996

This work includes three seminal pieces by early socialists that address the question of how to replace capitalism: "The Policy of Abstention" by William Morris; "Socialism and Radicalism" by John Carruthers; and "The ABC of Socialism" by Fred Henderson. Morris's argument regards the uses and dangers of socialist parliamentary activity; Carruthers writes of the diversion for socialists presented by the battle to reform capitalism; and Henderson's text, which was adopted as a policy statement by the Independent Labour Party, shows Morris's influence upon the early Labour movement. The introduction sets these works in the context of a long-standing political debate between social reform and social transformation, showing that these issues may be of relevance to radicals today.

Series 2

Arts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society

by William Morris

Published 1 March 1996

Morris is now thought of as the inspirer of the Arts and Crafts Movement in England at the end of the 19th century, which had an influence on the development of design in Europe. In 1893, he brought out this volume based on lectures given at exhibitions held to draw attention to new ideas. This text includes three of Morris's own lectures on textiles, printing and dyeing. The other contributions includes many of the leading figures of the Movement, including T.J. Cobden-Sanderson, Walter Crane, W.R. Lethaby, May Morris, E.S. Prior, Heywood Sumner and J.D. Sedding.

Series 2

Journalism

by William Morris

Published 1 March 1996

William Morris founded "Commonweal" in 1885 as "The Official Journal of the Socialist League". Its declared aim was to promote "the principles of Revolutionary International Socialism". The paper established itself as a leading socialist journal of the period and included articles by Friedrich Engels, Eleanor Marx and George Bernard Shaw. Morris contributed a regular "News" column to the paper in which he analyzed contemporary events from a Marxist perspective. These articles form the basis of this volume. The publication of this collection - along with the "Political Writings" volume from the William Morris Library: series 1 - means that all Morris's work from "Justice" and "Commonweal" are now avaiable.