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William Godwin was one of the most popular novelists of the Romantic era; P.B. Shelley praised him, Byron drew heavily on his narrative style, and Mary Shelley—Godwin’s daughter—dedicated Frankenstein to him.

Caleb Williams tells the riveting account of a young man whose curiosity leads him to pry into a murder from the past. Caleb is a self-taught man of humble origins who through his own abilities has risen to a respectable post as secretary to Falkland, a local Squire. Intrigued by Falkland’s peculiar behaviour, and out of concern for him, Caleb begins a quiet investigation into his employer’s past. The first novel of crime and detection in English literature, Caleb Williams is also a powerful exposé of the evils and inequities of the political and social system in 1790s Britain. The most overtly political edition, that of 1794, is here used as the copytext. In addition to the text itself, the editors have included an extensive selection of primary source materials from the period, ranging from Godwin’s original manuscript ending and excerpts from his political writings to contemporary reviews, the political writings of Burke and Paine, and materials on criminals and the English! prison system.

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