The Critical Heritage gathers together a large body of critical sources on major figures in literrature. Each volume presents contemporary responses to a writer's work, enabling student and researcher to read the material themselves.

Introduction; Chapter 1 'Modern Painters I'; Chapter 1-1 The Reverend John Eagles, from an Unsigned Review, 'Blackwood's Magazine'; Chapter 1-2 George Darley, Two Unsigned Reviews, 'Athenaeum'; Chapter 1-3 Walt Whitman, Unsigned Review, 'Brooklyn Eagle'; Chapter 2 'Modern Painters II'; Chapter 2-1 From an Unsigned Review, 'Foreign Quarterly Review'; Chapter 3 'Modern Painters I, II'; Chapter 3-1 Dr John Brown, from an Unsigned Review, 'North British Review'; Chapter 4 'The Seven Lamps of Architecture'; Chapter 4-1 Unsigned Review, 'Examiner'; Chapter 4-2 Samuel Ferguson, from an Unsigned Review, 'Dublin University Magazine'; Chapter 4-3 J.M. Capes, Unsigned Review, 'Rambler'; Chapter 5 'Pre-Raphaelitism'; Chapter 5-1 Unsigned Review, 'Art-Journal'; Chapter 6 'The Stones of Venice I'; Chapter 6-1 From an unsigned Review, 'Fraser's Magazine'; Chapter 7 'The Stones of Venice II, III'; Chapter 7-1 Three unsigned Reviews, 'The Times'; Chapter 8 'Modern Painters III'; Chapter 8-1 From an unsigned Review, 'The Economist'; Chapter 8-2 George Eliot, from an Unsigned Review, 'Westminster Review'; Chapter 9 'Modern Painters I-III'; Chapter 9-1 Elizabeth Rigby, from an Unsigned Review, 'Quarterly Review'; Chapter 10 'Modern Painters IV'; Chapter 10-1 William Michael Rossetti, Unsigned Review, 'Spectator'; Chapter 10-2 From an Unsigned Review, 'Eclectic Review'; Chapter 11 'The Political Economy of Art'; Chapter 11-1 Unsigned Editorial, 'Manchester Examiner and Times'; Chapter 11-2 William Moy Thomas, Unsigned Review, 'Athenaeum'; Chapter 12 Ruskin in the 1850s; Chapter 12-1 From an Unsigned Article Entitled John Ruskin, 'Eclectic Magazine' (New York); Chapter 12-2 From an Unsigned Article, 'Fraser's Magazine'; Chapter 12-3 Henry Fothergill Chorley, from an Unsigned Review, 'Edinburgh Review'; Chapter 12-4 Edward Bruce Hamley, an Unsigned Satirical Article, Mr. Dusky's Opinions on Art, 'Blackwood'S Magazine'; Chapter 13 'Modern Painters V'; Chapter 13-1 Unsigned Review, 'Illustr