Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American writer, who lived during the time of the Civil War and Walt Whitman. She was a poet and a recluse, so she was not well-known during her lifetime. In her upstairs room, she created some of the most memorable poetry of her age. These books discuss her life, her loves, and her relationship with words.
1. Emily Dickinson
by Cynthia Griffin Wolff. Perseus Publishing. Wolff explores the interwoven reality of her poetry and her life. She explores Dickinson's childhood, her relationship with other family members and with friends... She quotes MacLeigh, who says that nobody can read Dickinson's work "without perceiving that he is not so much reading as being spoken to."2. Emily Dickinson: A Collection of Critical Essays
by Judith Farr (Editor). Prentice Hall's collection of essays provides an introduction to the life and works of Emily Dickinson, with a chronology of important dates and a selected bibliography.3. My Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson
by Alfred Habegger. Random House. This biography presents previously information from previously unpublished letters, and other material from Dickinson's time to present another look at her life and love. This work explores her development as a woman poet.
4. Emily Dickinson : Selected Letters
by Emily Dickinson, Thomas Johnson (Editor). Belknap Press. This book presents some of Emily Dickinson's letters. Unfortunately, it is only a small portion of the thousands of letters that she wrote to family members, friends, and acquaintances. Besides being a well-known Dickinson scholar, Thomas Johnson is known for his edition of Emily Dickinson's poetry, which contains all 1,775 of her poems.5. Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson's Intimate Letters to Susan Hunting
by Emily Dickinson, Ellen Louise Hart (Editor), Martha Nell Smith (Editor). Paris Press. For many years, there has been a great deal of debate regarding the relationship between Emily Dickinson and Susan Huntington Dickinson (her friend and sister-in-law). She wrote more letters to Susan than to anyone else. And, she wrote with a great deal of passion.6. Emily Dickinson Handbook
by Gudrun Grabher (Editor), Roland Hagenbuchle (Editor), Cristanne Miller (Editor). University of Massachusetts Press. Find information about the latest research on Emily Dickinson, with 22 contributing essays from around the world.7. Emily Dickinson: And the Art of Belief
by Roger Lundin. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Critics have debated the nature of Emily Dickinson's faith. In this biography, Lundin depicts Dickinson as "one of the major religious literary thinkers of her age."