This Penguin English Poets edition of the poetry of Coleridge (1772-1834) contai
ns the final texts of all the poems published in the poet's lifetime, together w
ith a substantial selection from the verse still in manuscript on his death. Wil
liam Keach's notes draw attention to significant variants, and important earlier
versions of "Monody on the Death of Chatterton", "The Eolian Harp", "The Rime o
f the Ancient Mariner" and "Dejection: An Ode" are included in full. The poems a
re arranged in chronological order of composition, the best way of presenting a
poet's work in Coleridge's view, as it preserves "the interest which arises from
watching the progress, maturity and even the decay of genius".
