That Oscar Wilde and Carlyle, Macaulay and Pater, Samuel Butler and Cardinal Newman can all be called Victorians indicates how wide a field the term embraces. The selections in this anthology have been chosen and arranged for what they tell us of that surprisingly revolutionary period - its social and political outlook, art, philosophy, customs - as much as for their purely literary interest. Included are substantial, self-contained passages from 37 British authors: novelists, essayists, humorists, scientists, writers on religion and education, writers of leaders for The Times, letter-writers, even Queen Victoria herself in her journal.