Robert Browning's poetic scope was broad, ranging from the beguiling magic of The Pied Piper of Hamelin to the epic book-length poem The Ring and the Book. This comprehensive selection includes over eighty of his shorter poems, amongst them his most famous and best-loved dramatic monologues, as well as the complete text of many of his longer poems. It contains three books from The Ring and the Book and Browning's critical writing, Essay on Shelley. This edition also selects generously from the love letters between Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, as well as from Browning's more general correspondence--letters that cast a unique light upon the poems themselves and poetry in general. The book represents a unique combination of Browning's poetry and prose chosen from the whole range of his career to give the essence of his work and thinking.