George Herbert Collection (5 vols.)

Reformation Spirituality is a study of the specific religious experiences and beliefs that Herbert writes about, both in his poetry and in his prose. As such, it also examines the spiritual landscape of seventeenth-century England, a period, for all of its controversies, still dominated by the understanding of God and the human condition articulated by Martin Luther and systemized by John Calvin. Reformation spirituality, which was different both from medieval Catholicism and later Protestantism, is itself little understood by literary historians, who have tended to look to medieval or Counter-Reformation ideas and practices or to a simplistic distinction between “Anglicans” and “Puritans” as ways of understanding the religion of the time. This study presents Reformation spirituality phenomenologically, from the inside. Just as Reformation spirituality illuminates Herbert’s poetry, Herbert’s poetry illuminates Reformation spirituality, showing the experiential and mystical dimensions of an important religious tradition.

“The Word of God,” which was the controlling metaphor of both the Reformation and Herbert’s poetry, the Reformation view of the Church, the new dignity of the “secular” sphere of life, and the impact of the Reformation on the arts and on poetry in particular are all considered in terms of Herbert’s poetry, which stands as that movement’s greatest poetic voice.

The Works of George Herbert contains all of Herbert’s prose and poetry, as well as his personal correspondence. It includes all the poems from The Temple, The Church Militant, and A Priest to the Temple, plus numerous miscellaneous poems in English, Latin, and Greek. Jacula Prudentum—Herbert’s popular list of “outlandish proverbs and sayings”—is contained therein. The correspondence is divided between his English letters and his Greek letters. Plus, this edition contains R. A. Willmott’s careful notes and beautiful illustrations.

In George Herbert and His Times, A. G. Hyde unfolds the biography of Herbert while showing the relation of Herbert’s work in his own and later times. It begins with a short introduction on the state of poetry in the seventeenth century. Hyde then proceeds to document Herbert’s early life and education, his political career, and his life as a theologian, poet, and priest. Filled with numerous portraits and illustrations, Hyde takes an in-depth look at Herbert’s work and contextualizes the poetry that continues to inspire readers today.

The Life of George Herbert endeavors to present the life and career of “holy Mr. Herbert” with a simplicity of style and fullness of detail. Duyckinck covers his ancestry, his days at Cambridge, his ordination, his ministry, his poetry, and much more.

This bibliography of books relating to George Herbert comprises of 141 titles and 158 volumes. All the books are first editions unless otherwise specified. For convenience of reference, they are grouped under nine headings. It also includes the works written by his brothers as well as the works written by Herbert’s close friend, Nicholas Ferrar.