Caleb Williams is a dark and compelling novel of paranoia and persecution, a pychological thriller with a powerful political message.
This is the first paperback edition to reproduce the first edition (1794), restoring the original, highly topical novel with a political purpose, writen during the political crisis of 1793-4 when the British government clamped down on the burgeoning reform movement.
The comprehensive Introduction by Pamela Clemit outlines the novel's contemporary reception, its historical and literary contexts, and the two endings of the novel.
Includes three appendices highlighting Caleb Williams as a 'text on the move': the original manuscript ending; selected variants between the second and third editions; Godwin's prefatory materials.
New, up-to-date Bibliography and Explanatory Notes.
