This academic cornerstone, edited by Sir A.W. Ward and A.R. Waller, remains a foundational text for the study of English letters, with this specific volume focusing on the transformative eras of the Renaissance and the Reformation. Sir Adolphus William Ward was a distinguished historian and the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, known for his meticulous editorial standards and deep literary insight. This 1967 reprint by Cambridge University Press provides a connected account of the successive movements of English literature, featuring contributions from the leading scholars of the early 20th century. The book is in good vintage condition, housed in its original blue dust jacket which shows some chipping, edge wear, and a small area of surface loss from a removed sticker on the front cover. Internally, the pages are clean and free from inscriptions, the binding is firm, and the text block is well-preserved with only light age-toning to the edges.