BOOK ONE: THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD, 1.The Making of the English Nation, 2.Anglo-Saxon Literature, BOOK TWO: MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD - 1066-1485, 3.Middle English Literature: First Period (1006-1350), 4.Middle English Literature: Second Period (1350-1400), 5.Chaucer, BOOK THREE: BETWEEN CHAUCER AND SPENSER, 6.Fifteenth Century: Poetry, 7.Fifteenth Century: Prose, 8.The Renaissance and the Reformation, 9.Early Tudor or Pre-Elizabethan Literature, BOOK FOUR: THE ELIZABETHAN AGE, 10.Elizabethan Poetry: Spenser, 11.Elizabethan Poetry: Spenser´s Contemporaries, 12.Elizabethan Prose, 13.The Drama Before Shakespeare, 14.Shakespeare, 15.Other Elizabethan Dramatists, BOOK FIVE: THE PURITAN PERIOD - 1603-1660, 16.The Puritan Age: Poetry (1), 17.The Puritan Age: Poetry (2), 18.The Puritan Age: Prose, BOOK SIX: THE AUGUSTAN AGE - 1660-1800, 19.The Restoration Period or The Age of Dryden: Poetry, 20.The Age of Dryden: Drama, 21.The Age of Dryden: Prose, 22.The Augustan Age: The Eighteenth Century, 23.Queen Anne Prose, 24.The Age of Pope: Poetry, 25.The Age of Johnson: Poetry, 26.The Heralds of the Romantic Revival, 27.The Eighteenth Century Novel, 28.The Age of Johnson: Prose (Essay), 29.Eighteenth Century Letter Writers, 30.The Age of Johnson: Miscellaneous Prose, 31.Eighteenth Century Drama, BOOK SEVEN: NINETEENTH CENTURY, 32.The Age of Wordsworth: The Romantic Movement, 33.The Age of Wordsworth: Romantic Poets (1), 34.The Age of Wordsworth: Romantic Poets (2), 35.The Age of Wordsworth: The Novel, 36.The Age of Wordsworth: Essay and Criticism, BOOK EIGHT: VICTORIAN LITERATURE, 37.Victorian Literature: Poetry (1), 38.Victorian Literature: Poetry (2), 39.Victorian Literature: Poetry (3), 40.The Victorian Novel (1), 41.The Victorian Novel (2), 42.The Victorian Prose, 43.Miscellaneous Prose Writers, BOOK NINE: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, 44.Twentieth Century Literature: Poetry (General), 45.Modern Poets, 46.Modernist Poets, 47.The Drama: Revival and After, 48.The Drama: Playwrights, 49.Poetic Drama, BOOK TEN: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY (CONTINUED), 50.The Novel (General), 51.The Novel: Early 20th Century, 52.The Novel: Middle and Later 20th Century, 53.The Novel: Miscellaneous, 54.General Prose
- A brief but comprehensive political and social history of each literary period.
- An adequate biographical account of every major author.
- A detailed study of every major author with copious examples from his works, to the extent of making it an independent and self-contained critique.
- Illustrative specimens from authors of middle and minor ranks.
- Summaries or outlines of famous poems, plays, and novels.
- Notes on important figures of European history and literature.
- Brief notices of American and Commonwealth novelties.
- A glossary of technical terms of literature.