The Critical Heritage gathers together a large body of critical sources on major figures in literature. Each volume presents contemporary responses to a writer's work, enabling students and researchers to read for themselves, for example, comments on early performances of Shakespeare's plays, or reactions to the first publication of Jane Austen's novels. The carefully selected sources range from landmark essays in the history of criticism to journalism and contemporary opinion, and little published documentary material such as letters and diaries. Significant pieces of criticism from later periods are also included, in order to demonstrate the fluctuations in an author's reputation.
Each volume contains an introduction to the writer's published works, a selected bibliography, and an index of works, authors and subjects.
The Collected Critical Heritage set will be available as a set of 68 volumes and the series will also be available in mini sets selected by period (in slipcase boxes) and as individual volumes.y

General Editor's Preface; Note on the Text; Introduction, G. M. Matthews; Chapter 1 First Promise; sec1-1 A wanderer in the fields of fancy; sec1-2 Leigh Hunt introduces a new poet, Leigh Hunt; sec1-3 Wordsworth on Keats, William Wordsworth; Chapter 2 Poems; sec2-1 Unsigned review by J. H. Reynolds, Champion; sec2-2 Unsigned notice, Monthly Magazine; sec2-3 G. F. Mathew on Keats's Poems, 1817, G. F. Mathew; sec2-4 Leigh Hunt announces a new school of poetry, Leigh Hunt; sec2-5 A very facetious rhymer; sec2-6 Unsigned review, Edinburgh Magazine, and Literary Miscellany (Scots Magazine); Chapter 3 Endymion: A Poetic Romance; sec3-1 Letters and prefaces; sec3-2 Unsigned review, Literary Journal and General Miscellany of Science, Arts, etc.; sec3-3 Bailey advertises Endymion; sec3-4 A great original work; sec3-5 A monstrously droll poem; sec3-6 Lockhart's attack in Blackwood's, John Gibson Lockhart; sec3-7 Croker's attack in the Quarterly, John Wilson Croker; sec3-8 A protest against the Quarterly; sec3-9 Reynolds also protests; sec3-10 Shelley on Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley; sec3-11 Byron on the 'Trash of Keats', George Gordon Byron; sec3-12 Not a poem, but a dream of poetry; Chapter 4 Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, and Other Poems; sec4-1 Keats's indelicacy alarms his friends; sec4-2 Clare on Keats, John Clare; sec4-3 Prodigal phrases; sec4-4 Unsigned review, Monthly Review; sec4-5 Unsigned notice, Literary Chronicle and Weekly Review; sec4-6 Leigh Hunt displays Keats's 'calm power', Leigh Hunt; sec4-7 Unsigned review, Guardian; sec4-8 Unsigned review, London Magazine and Monthly Critical and Dramatic Review (Gold's); sec4-9 Jeffrey on Keats, Francis Jeffrey; sec4-10 Unsigned review, Edinburgh Magazine, and Literary Miscellany (Scots Magazine); sec4-11 Unsigned review, New Monthly Magazine; sec4-12 Unsigned review, London Magazine (Baldwin's); sec4-13 Unsigned notice, Monthly Magazine; sec4-14 Unsigned review, British Critic; sec4-15 A mischief at the core; sec4-16 Error and imagination; Chapter 5 Obituaries; sec5-1 The death of Mr John Keats; sec5-2 The death of genius; sec5-3 The death of a radically presumptuous profligate; Chapter 6 Posthumous Reputation; sec6-1 Hazlitt on Keats, William Hazlitt; sec6-2 Leigh Hunt: retrospective views of Keats, Leigh Hunt; sec6-3 A Titan in spirit; sec6-4 Landor on Keats, Walter Savage Landor; sec6-5 Memoir in Galignani's edition; sec6-6 The significance of Keats's work; sec6-7 The Quarterly is unrepentant; sec6-8 A misleading textbook account; sec6-9 A commentary on two poems; sec6-10 A good half-poet; sec6-11 Elizabeth Barrett Browning on Keats, Elizabeth Barrett Browning; sec6-12 'Orion' Home on Keats; sec6-13 An American dialogue on Keats; sec6-14 Gilfillan on Keats, George Gilfillan; sec6-15 De Quincey on Keats, Thomas De Quincey; sec6-16 Unsurpassed vigour and acumen; Chapter 7 Milnes's Life, Letters and Literary Remains of John Keats; sec7-1 Keats's firstJustice in the market-place; sec7-3 Arnold on Keats, Matthew Arnold; sec7-4 Extracts from unsigned review of Milnes's Life, Gentleman's Magazine; sec7-5 The sensual school of poetry; sec7-6 Shelley, Keats and Tennyson compared; Chapter 8 Established Fame; sec8-1 The language of actual life; sec8-2 Bagehot on Keats, Walter Bagehot; sec8-3 Ideas made concrete; sec8-4 Lowell on Keats, Amy Lowell; sec8-5 Cardinal Wiseman on Keats; sec8-6 Keats in the Encyclopedia Britannica; sec8-7 A rich intellectual foundation; sec8-8 Cowden Clarke on Keats, Cowden Clarke; sec8-9 Joseph Severn looks back Appendix: The Principal Early Editions of Keats's Poetry;