An index to the collected works of William Hazlitt

In Short

This book is a comprehensive index to the twelve-volume collected writings of William Hazlitt, an influential English essayist, critic, and philosopher of the early nineteenth century. It serves as a navigational tool for the labyrinthine depth of his essays, reviews, and political commentary. Compiled by dedicated scholars and family members after his lifetime, the book has lasted as a vital piece of reference architecture, preserving the connections between Hazlitt’s expansive interests—ranging from Shakespearean drama to European politics—and the specific pages where his most profound insights are recorded.

The Story

The narrative of this book is not one of plot, but of scholarly dedication and the monumental task of organizing a sprawling intellectual legacy. The story begins with the realization that the twelve-volume collection of Hazlitt’s writings, despite its breadth, lacked a proper map. The original intention to include an index within the final volume was thwarted by the sheer volume of newly discovered material, which pushed the pages of the collection to their physical limit. Thus, a separate volume became a necessity, a "self-chosen task" undertaken by Arnold Glover.

The journey of the index is defined by human loss and meticulous labor. Following the death of Arnold Glover, the project threatened to stall, but it was carried to completion by Mrs. Arnold Glover, with the final editorial oversight provided by A. R. Waller. The effort was driven by a collaborative spirit among editors and publishers who sought to offer the work at a price below cost, ensuring that Hazlitt’s thoughts would remain accessible to "all lovers" of his work. The editors viewed the index as an essential final piece of the collection, noting that Hazlitt himself would have considered his own work "incomplete" until such a guide was provided.

As the index unfolds, it reveals the breadth of the intellectual world Hazlitt inhabited. It lists characters from novels and plays—from the legendary Don Quixote to the fictional Tony Lumpkin—alongside real-world figures, philosophers like Bishop Berkeley, and artists like Bernini. The index also tracks the geography of his mind, spanning from London’s streets and the halls of Parliament to the lakes of Bienne and the galleries of Rome. The compilers were forced to make difficult editorial choices; for instance, they had to "lighten" the massive list of quotations by omitting the ubiquitous references to Shakespeare and Milton, which would have otherwise doubled the length of the volume.

The book concludes with a commitment to living scholarship. The editors provide an "Addenda" and invite the reader to participate in the ongoing maintenance of the project. They acknowledge human fallibility, noting where an essay was accidentally printed twice in the original set and asking owners to mark their copies. The text ends not with a final scene, but with a promise of continued updates and an invitation for further collaboration, cementing the index as an open-ended, living record of a writer whose influence was still being mapped long after he had left the stage.

How It Unfolds

The origin of the need The story begins with a practical dilemma: the collected works of the essayist have grown too large to house a necessary guide, requiring the birth of a standalone index to provide order to the chaos of twelve dense volumes. This reflects the growth of the writer's reputation, as more of his previously unidentified papers were unearthed during the editorial process.

The shift in stewardship The narrative moves to the personal toll of the work, as the original compiler passes away mid-project. This forces a transition, with the surviving editors taking up the mantle to ensure the work is completed in memory of their colleague.

The organizational logic The book explains its own method, detailing how it handles the distinction between the real and the imaginary. It creates a hierarchy of names, places, and themes, while candidly admitting to the editorial necessity of pruning the most frequent quotations to keep the volume manageable.

The living document The work concludes by acknowledging its own imperfections, such as the accidental duplication of an essay in the source text. It finishes with an invitation to the reader, treating the volume as a collaborative project that remains subject to future correction and growth.

The People

William Hazlitt is the central, unseen protagonist. He is the intellectual engine behind every entry, a man whose mind wandered through the vast history of philosophy, drama, and politics. He is not a static figure but an evolving presence, his spelling and stylistic quirks preserved by the editors as a mark of his character.

Arnold Glover serves as the original, tragic architect of the index. He is the embodiment of scholarly devotion, having taken up the "self-chosen task" of organizing the works of a man he clearly admired. His death marks the mid-point of the book’s history, turning the index into a tribute to his uncompleted labor.

A. R. Waller and Mrs. Arnold Glover act as the primary stewards. They are the ones who turn the "slips" of paper into a published reality. Their role is defined by precision and a deep sense of responsibility to both the author and the deceased editor. They serve as the bridge between the chaotic, sprawling brilliance of the original essays and the orderly, accessible format required by the general reader.

In Its Own Voice

The book is now published, through the collaboration of Mrs Arnold Glover, Messrs J. M. Dent & Co. and myself, at a price considerably below cost, in order to place it within reach of all lovers of Hazlitt.

The editors express their motivation for producing the index, focusing on accessibility and the preservation of a legacy.

The list of quotations has been very considerably lightened by leaving out almost all phrases from Shakespeare and Milton: to have added these would have made the list of quotations almost double its present length, so often did Hazlitt quote from these two.

This note highlights the sheer frequency and depth of the essayist’s engagement with classical English literature.

What It's Really About

This book is about the architecture of thought. It asks how one organizes the intellectual output of a lifetime that was defined by restlessness and wide-ranging curiosity. It is about the tension between the desire to categorize and the reality that a truly brilliant mind often refuses to stay within the boundaries of a simple index. The underlying question is one of legacy: how do we preserve the echoes of a writer whose work is so densely packed with references to art, politics, and human nature that it threatens to become inaccessible without a map? It serves as an argument for the value of the index as a critical tool, asserting that to understand a mind, one must be able to track its movements across the landscape of human knowledge.

Why Read It Today

Readers who love literary puzzles, biographical history, or the act of intellectual discovery will find this book a fascinating artifact. It is not a book for a casual reader looking for a narrative story; rather, it is a masterclass in the history of scholarly effort. It feels like stepping into a nineteenth-century library, where the dust and the rigor of the work are still palpable.

You will likely be struck by the sheer intensity of the essayist's engagement with his own cultural world. However, the book is not without its difficulties. It is a product of its time, carrying the period’s specific attitudes and the dense, often archaic, references of a nineteenth-century scholar. It can be a demanding read, requiring a certain patience for lists and technical notes. Yet, for those who want to see how a collection of thoughts is held together, or for those who wish to trace the specific influence of Shakespeare and Milton on a later writer, this book is an invaluable companion. It stays with you as a testament to the idea that a writer's work is never truly finished as long as there is someone willing to index, maintain, and cherish it.