This book investigates the editorial processes and cultural impact behind Thomas Percy's 1765 collection, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, to determine its role in shaping the literary canon. Nick Groom, a scholar of English literature, utilizes archival research to examine Percy's personal correspondence, private library, and unpublished papers. By reconstructing the author's working methods, the text argues that the Reliques served as a critical bridge between historical ballad traditions and the emergence of Romanticism.

Scholars and literary historians recognize this monograph as a foundational text for understanding the development of the English literary canon. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of Percy's editorial contributions.