Charles Kingsley (1819 75) is best remembered today as the author of the children's morality tale The Water Babies. This biography, written by his wife and published in 1877, draws on his letters to describe a man who saw his faith as being central to his life not only as an Anglican priest, but also as a historian, novelist and supporter of social reform. The two-volume work gives insights into the concerns and preoccupations of the intellectual classes of the mid-Victorian period. Volume 1 covers the period until 1856. We read Kingsley's precocious sermon written at the age of four, and his...

Charles Kingsley (1819 75) is best remembered today as the author of the children's morality tale The Water Babies. This biography, written by his wife and published in 1877, draws on his letters to describe a man who saw his faith as being central to his life not only as an Anglican priest, but also as a historian, novelist and supporter of social reform. The two-volume work gives insights into the concerns and preoccupations of the intellectual classes of the mid-Victorian period. In Volume 2, Fanny Kingsley gives passionate support to her husband in the notorious controversy with J. H....