Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Essays, Vol. 1: Critical and Imaginative
At the same time I have to regret, as I had in the case of the noctesambrosiance, that the Collection has not received the benefit of his final emendations. It has the seal of his imprimatur, but not the stamp of his corrections. To some extent, however, this disadvantage may be balanced by the compensating fact that, if these Essays have lost something in not having obtained the benefit of their Author's maturer judgment, they may also have gained something in having preserved, entire and undisturbed, the buoyancy and fresh ness of their original projection. The train of thought and feeling and humour which arose in Professor Wilson's mind under the fervent impulse of the moment, was generally such as no subsequent re?ection could have inspired, and no sub sequent criticism improved.
Short explanatory notices have been prefixed to such of the Essays as appeared to require them. In this place, therefore, I need only say that the chronological order in which the articles were originally published, has been ad hered to as the rule. Where exceptions occur, the reason will either be assigned at its proper place, or will be suffi ciently obvious to the reader. This may be added, that although Professor Wilson was a contributor (and a very efficient one) to Blackwood's Magazine from its commence ment in 1817, the Essays contained in this collection are (with a few exceptions) of not older date than the year 1826: for this was the period about which he began to put forth his full strength, and to rejoice in the untrammelled exercise of his varied and peculiar powers.
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