One of the most popular writers of his age, outsold only by Dickens, Edward George Bulwer Lytton (1803–73), first Baron Lytton, is notable for coining the phrases 'the great unwashed' and 'the pen is mightier than the sword', although his work is largely forgotten today. G. K. Chesterton's appraisal was that 'you could not have the Victorian Age without him'. Lytton requested that his son Edward Robert (1831–91), first Earl of Lytton, complete his autobiography. Complemented by letters and previously unpublished material - the better to flesh out the story of a prolific literary life - it appeared in two volumes in 1883. In his preface, Edward Robert writes that his main purpose is 'to illustrate my father's works by his life, and his life by his works'. Volume 1 contains the original autobiography, along with letters and selected writings that provide insights into Lytton's first twenty-two years.
