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Excerpt from John Addington Symonds: A Biography; Compiled From His Papers and Correspondence Messrs. Smith, Elder, & Co. having undertaken to publish a second edition of John Addington Symonds; a Biography, in the same form as the other works of Symonds issued by that firm, it became my duty to revise the first edition in the light of the criticism it had received. The chief objection taken by those who had met Symonds was that the portrait was too uniformly gloomy; that the brightness, the sparkle, the play of fancy, so characteristic of Symonds sconversation in genial company, found no place in this record of himself drawn from his autobiography, his diaries and his letters; that his power of feeding, stimulating, invigorating his hearers, his sympathetic abandon is missed. The most intimate friend of his school-days, the Kev. Gustavus Bosanquet, declares that Symonds, in his autobiography, gives an entirely wrong account of himself, describing himself as an unlovable, unclubable boy; he was anything but this. Gentle, bright, attractive, intelligent, he could not fail to be loved and admired by anyone who really knew him. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from John Addington Symonds: A Biography; Compiled From His Papers and Correspondence There is something I ought to tell you, and being ill at Rome, I take this occasion. If I do not see you again in this life, you remember that I made H. F. Brown the depositary Of my published books. I wish that legacy to cover all mss., diaries, letters, and other matters found in my books, and cupboard, with the exception Of business papers. Brown will consult and publish nothing without your consent. - Ever yours. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This edition is the first to reproduce John Addington Symonds's Memoirs in its entirety. It offers a panoramic view of middle-class Victorian life, shedding light upon sexual cultures and life histories too often hidden from history. Symonds (1840-93) began writing his Memoirs in 1889. It was, he confessed, 'a foolish thing to do.' Symonds was a respected man of letters, an historian, translator, essayist and poet; he was also married with children. But rather than unfold a simple tale of public and private achievement, the Memoirs record his struggle to reconcile his homosexuality with these professional and familial identities. His autobiography offers a confessional account of relationships beyond the accepted bounds of nineteenth-century social mores, presenting an alternative case study that contests the legal and medical authorities that would label his desires a crime or disease. Yet being so eloquent on matters of heterodox sexuality, the Memoirs were suppressed. The manuscript survives because Symonds recognised its import, however 'foolish': he instructed his literary executor to preserve the text, a duty ultimately discharged by placing the manuscript under embargo in the care of the London Library.