Edward Bulwer-Lytton was an extremely popular novelist in the 19th century, but now is barely read. The two Bulwer-Lytton novels in the collection of James Walsh clearly were used for pleasure reading. Because liberal education at the time focused on classical studies, this book would not have been considered a legitimate piece of a normal college curriculum. Students—like Walsh—would have read this in their spare time, in the same way students today watch TV to relax.
