Author J. A. Cuddon was a renowned academic, essayist, novelist, playright, and travel writer. He died in March 1996. Edited by M. A. R. Habib, Professor of English, Rutgers University.

His books include the highly acclaimed A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to the Present (Blackwell, 2005), Modern Literary Criticism and Theory: A History (2008), Literary Criticism from Plato to the Present: An Introduction (2011), and the Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: Vol. VI: the Nineteenth Century (ed., 2012). Associate Editors Dr Matthew Birchwood is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Kingston University, London Dr Martin Dines is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Kingston University, London Dr Shanyn Fiske is Associate Professor of English at Rutgers University (Camden, NJ) Dr Vedrana Velickovic is Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Brighton.