Drawing on published letters & diaries of Wm & Dorothy Wordsworth & of their contemporaries Coleridge & Southey, this biography of the poet's life & times also draws on the author's knowledge of the Lake District, which formed so strong a part in Wordsworth's life. Davies discusses Wordsworth's relationship with his sister, Dorothy; tells the story of his affair with Annette Vallon, the French mother of his child; & describes in detail Wm's life with his wife, Mary, concluding that he fell in love with her only after a decade of marriage. The book portrays family life at Grasmere & Rydal, Wordsworth's politics, the formative meeting with Coleridge & his travels. Introduction Prologue Cockermouth & Penrith: 1770-1779 Hawkshead: 1779-1787 Cambridge: 1787-1790 France: 1791-1792 Mainly London: 1793-1795 West Country: 1795-1798 Germany & Lyrical Ballads: 1798-1799 Dove Cottage: 1800-1802 Dorothy & Wedded Bliss: 1802 Scotland: 1803 A Death in the Family: 1805 Coleridge Returns: 1806-1808 The Great Estrangement: 1808-1813 Fine Folks: 1813-1817 Politics & Poems: 1815-1818 Mary, Dorothy & the Children: 1813-1820 Friends & Relations: 1813-1820 Fame: 1820-1830 Troubles & Triumphs: 1830-1843 Mellow Moods: 1840-1847 Last Days: 1847-1850 The Family Tree of Wm Wordsworth Appendix Bibliography Index