S. C. Roberts – författare

To a wide circle of friends 'S. C.' was known as a vivid raconteur and mimic; more formally he was recognised as a publisher of skill and distinction. He joined Cambridge University Press as assistant secretary in 1911, served four war years in the Suffolk Regiment, with a wound at Ypres, and three years after his return was appointed Secretary of the Press. His adventures and achievements in that capacity are the subject of the main part of this book. His 'Adventures' contain first, a rich collection of his 'stories'. These are not merely comic, though they are certainly that. They are shrewd and sympathetic and they offer a series of insights into human nature, especially in the notoriously delicate relationship between author and publisher. Roberts' 'Authors' include Jeans and Rutherford, Dover Wilson and Granville Barker, Housman and de la Mare and many others. Secondly the book is a record, by one who was at once a participant and a spectator, of the way of life of a major university as it evolved from the Victorian to the modern mode.

Originally published in 1930, the main focus of this concise volume is on the figure of Samuel Johnson, particularly in terms of his relationship with the surrounding cultural climate of the eighteenth century. Four essays on Johnson constitute the main part of the text, and this section is bookended by portraits of George Lyttelton and Thomas Macaulay, which serves to contextualise Johnson's position as the pre-eminent figure of the time. This is a a highly readable book, which deploys a vast array of knowledge in a subtle and unobtrusive manner, providing a well-rounded interpretation of the Augustan age that will be of value to anyone with an interest in Johnson and his milieu.

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), who often published under the pen-name of 'Q', was one of the giants of early twentieth-century literature and literary criticism. A novelist and poet who was also a Professor of English, he helped to form the literary tastes of generations of literary students and scholars who came after him. The freshness, enthusiasm and intellectual insight of his work is still evident in his writings nearly a century on. Cambridge University Press is delighted to reissue some of his key texts in this new edition. Quiller-Couch was born in Cornwall and educated at Newton Abbot College, Clifton College and Trinity College Oxford. These autobiographical writings, first published shortly after his death in 1944, describe his early years in Polperro and his educational experiences, ending with his choice of an academic career and the publication of his first novel.

Originally published in 1957, as part of the English Literature for Schools series, this book contains two short pieces taken from Isaak Walton's Lives. His biographies of John Donne and George Herbert are presented in full, with modernised spelling for the younger reader. A short introduction and editorial notes are also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Donne, Herbert and the writings of Walton.

Originally printed in 1904 as a limited edition of two hundred and fifty copies, this book contains a reprint of the 1716 edition of Sir Thomas Browne's Christian Morals. Brown offers a range of advice on subjects such as charity, true goodness and justice. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Browne's work or in eighteenth-century British philosophy.

Originally published in 1923, this book presents the complete text of James Boswell's 1768 work, The Journal of a Tour to Corsica. An editorial introduction is also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Corsica, travel writing and the works of Boswell.

Terrot Reaveley Glover (1869-1943) was a classical scholar and historian. Originally published in 1946, this book was prepared by Glover during the last months of his life. It contains nine essays on a variety of topics, together with a memoir of the author written by S. C. Roberts. This is a fascinating and highly readable volume that will be of value to anyone with an interest in classics.

First published in 1958, this book contains four essays on various aspects of Johnson's personality and achievement as well as a survey of the work of Thomas Fuller; a comparison of Pepys and Boswell as diarists; a study of Thomas Gray's life in Cambridge; an essay on James Beresford, author of The Miseries of Human Life, a best-seller of 200 years ago; a brief account, based upon an unpublished diary, of B. W. Beatson, an early nineteenth-century don; and, finally, an essay on the 'inimitable' Max Beerbohm, whom Sir Sydney once dared to imitate.

This short history of Pembroke College, Cambridge appeared in 1936, during a particularly successful period for the college in terms of both academic and sporting achievements. Pembroke was founded in 1347, when Edward III granted Marie de St Pol, widow of the Earl of Pembroke, a licence for the foundation of a new educational establishment in the young University of Cambridge. The college flourished, and from the mid-nineteenth century expanded greatly. The author of this book, which is still regarded as the 'official history of Pembroke College', was a leading authority on the college's history. However, he died before the manuscript could be completed, and the final part was written as a postscript by S. C. Roberts, a former Master of the college. The book has delightful illustrations and a thorough index of the influential scholars, former students and benefactors connected with the college over the centuries.

First published in 1925, this book presents a well-known collection of anecdotes by Samuel Johnson. The anecdotes were recorded and compiled by the British author and diarist Hester Lynch Thrale (1741-1821), who became Hester Lynch Piozzi following her second marriage. The original version of the text was published in 1786, shortly after Johnson's death in 1784. An editorial introduction and bibliography were created for this Cambridge edition. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Johnson, Thrale and eighteenth-century thought.