Print & Audio Editions

The Book of the Heart Seized by Love

by Anjou, René de (1409–1480)

A detailed allegory of love, which draws upon the conventions of Arthurian romance, with affinities to Guillaume de Lorris’ original Romance of the Rose. Published with illustrations.

Baudelaire: The Poetry & Prose

by Baudelaire, Charles (1821–1867)

Eight-eight major poems, in translation, from Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal; Voyage to Modernity - A new commentary on Baudelaire’s poetry; and selected extracts from Baudelaire’s prose writings. Published with illustrations.

Le Bel Inconnu (The Fair Unknown)

by Beaujeu, Renaud de (1165–1230)

The adventures of the knight Gingalain, the Fair Unknown, who is torn between the love of two women, la Pucelle a Blanches Mains (‘The Maid of the White Hands’) mistress of Ile d'Or (the Golden Isle), and Blonde Esmerée (‘The Fair and Radiant One’), Queen of Wales. Published with illustrations.

Atala & René

by Chateaubriand, François-René de (1768–1848)

Chateaubriand’s novellas Atala & René, early classics of French Romanticism. Both works address individuals in conflict with their societies. Contrary to celebrating the ‘noble savage’, both stories suggest the virtues of Christianity and Europeanisation. Published in full colour with illustrations (various artists).

Mémoires d'outre tombe

by Chateaubriand, François-René de (1768–1848)

A complete English translation of Chateaubriand's Memoirs with hyperlinked index of 4450 footnotes. Illustrated with 604 images of the people, places and events of Chateaubriand's life.
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The Itinerary

by Chateaubriand, François-René de (1768–1848)

Chateaubriand’s diary of his journey through the Middle East, including Greece, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, returning via Egypt, Tunisia, and Spain. Published with a selection of engravings and lithographs from 19th-century travelogues.

The Last of the Abencerrajes

by Chateaubriand, François-René de (1768–1848)

This narrative focuses on the last Abencerrage of the Moorish kingdom of Granada. The tale examines a love affair between a Christian and a Muslim, a motif often exploited in earlier European literature. Illustrated with Lithographs by Francisco Javier Parcerisa.

The Romance of the Rose

by Lorris, Guillaume de (1200–1238)

Jean de Meung (c1240-c1305) wrote a long continuation (dated to between 1268 and 1285 by internal references) to this, the original Roman de la Rose. De Lorris produced, in this Romance, a dream allegory of courtly love, in a poetic, reflective and elegant style

Captain Fracasse

by Gautier, Théophile (1811–1872)

Gautier's Le Capitaine Fracasse, an episodic novel written in 1863, has as its protagonist the Baron de Sigognac, an impoverished seventeenth-century nobleman who abandons his château to join a theatrical company so as to pursue a young actress.

Winning The Rose

by Kline, A. S. (b.1947)

The Romance of the Rose is the finest poetic achievement of the French High Medieval period. This Commentary explains the structure of the work, and the intentions behind it. Published with illustrations.

Un Coup de Dés & Other Poems

by Mallarmé, Stéphane (1842–1898)

These translations of Mallarmé’s major poetry reflect his position as a leading Symbolist poet of the nineteenth century. His poetry provides an impression of a gleaming fin-de-siècle void. Published with illustrations.

The Romance of the Rose, The Continuation

Jean de Meung (c1240-c1305) wrote this long continuation (dated to between 1268 and 1285 by internal references) of the original Roman de la Rose. Published with illuminations, courtesy of the British Library.
Paperback, 695 pages

Rimbaud: Selected Works in Translation

by Rimbaud, Arthur (1854–1891)

A selection of major poems by Arthur Rimbaud. Including early poems, Les Illuminations and Une Saison En Enfer, both complete, and an extract from the 'Voyant' Letter. Published with illustrations (various artists).

Cyrano de Bergerac

by Rostand, Edmond (1868–1918)

The play Cyrano de Bergerac centres around Cyrano’s unrequited and unrecognised love for Roxanne and his indomitable courage in the face of disappointment and failure. Published with illustrations (various artists).

From Dawn to Dawn: Troubadour Poetry

by Troubadours, The (c.1100–c.1350)

Troubadours were composers and performers of Old Occitan lyric poetry during 1100–1350. Their songs centred on the themes of chivalry and courtly love, ranging from metaphysical pieces to humorous satires. Published with illustrations.

Érec and Énide

by Troyes, Chrétien de (1130–1191)

Érec and Énide - the first Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes in English translation. Published with illustrations by Gustave Doré.

Cligès

by Troyes, Chrétien de (1130–1191)

Cligès - the second Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes in English translation. Published with illustrations by George Woolliscroft-Rhead and Louis Rhead.

Yvain

by Troyes, Chrétien de (1130–1191)

Yvain, the Knight of the Lion: an Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes written c. 1180 simultaneously with Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart. Published with illustrations.

Lancelot

by Troyes, Chrétien de (1130–1191)

Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart: an Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes written c. 1180 simultaneously with Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. Published with illustrations.

Perceval

by Troyes, Chrétien de (1130–1191)

Perceval, the Story of the Grail, is the unfinished fifth Arthurian romance of Chrétien de Troyes written c. 1180. Published with illustrations by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley.

Verlaine: Selected Poems in Translation

by Verlaine, Paul (1844–1896)

A wide selection of over seventy of Verlaine’s poems chosen from his major collections of verse. Published with various illustrations.