Esther Tusquets was already well known in Spain as director of the Barcelona publishing house Editorial Lumen when she stunned the reading public in the late 70s and 80s with the publication of a highly acclaimed narrative cycle whose daringly innovative content and prose style broke new ground for the Spanish novel and for women's writing.

The readiness of families such as this to write directly, rather than to dictate through secretaries, makes the literary outcome more personal and intimate, more expressive of inner feelings and shared sensibility. In consequence, the letters carry their own truth across the ages."

David Garrick (1717-79) is synonymous with the golden age of English theatre. Widely acclaimed as an actor, he went on to become a shrewd theatre manager at Drury Lane. His years in charge of the Theatre Royal ensured its dramatic ascendancy and burnished his own considerable celebrity. These letters, first published in 1831, reveal Garrick's gregarious nature and shed light on his many friendships with leading ladies, fellow actors, contemporary playwrights, and members of high society. His love of Shakespeare's work is also evident, highlighting Garrick's pivotal role in ensuring the plays became established in the national consciousness. This two-volume collection was edited by James Boaden (1762-1839), who published several theatrical biographies (also reissued in this series). Containing correspondence for the period 1736-74, Volume 1 also includes a biographical account that traces the progress of Garrick's theatrical career.