There is a long-held view that Wordsworth's inspiration dried up before the age of forty. This book opposes that view by examining the substantial body of poetry written after his fiftieth year. The argument is that, in order to appreciate this work, much of which was inspired by itineraries in Britain and in Europe, we have to read the poems as they were first published. By adopting the perspective of the contemporary reader, Wordsworth's grand design can be appreciated.

JOHN WYATT was Principal of two Colleges of Higher Education from 1971 to his retirement in 1996, when he became Visiting Professor at the University of Southampton in the Faculty of Education and Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of East London. He was Council Member and Honorary Treasurer of the Society for Research into Higher Education and in 1997 was elected Fellow of the Society. He is a Trustee of the Higher Education Foundation. He writes on the history and philosophy of higher education and on management in that sector, in addition to the studies of Wordsworth and his geological friends, Charlotte Smith, the sonneteer, and the literary and scientific culture of early nineteenth-century Britain.

Acknowledgements Introduction Peter Bell's Company Cerulean Duddon and its Tributaries Memorials of a Tour, 1820: The Lessons of Europe To the Springs of Romanticism: Yarrow Revisited Unfinished Business: A Second Scottish Journey The Italian Tour of 1837 Conclusion: Such Sweet Wayfaring? Notes and References Bibliography Index