Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

This is the small volume of verse that the three Brontë sisters published together in 1846, hiding behind the pen names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. Charlotte, Emily and Anne each contributed a share of poems, so readers can compare three distinct voices. The poems range over faith, memory, loss, nature, imagination and longing. Emily's contributions are notable for their intensity and their themes of freedom and the inner life. The book sold very few copies at first, but it marked the sisters' first step into print and led directly to their later novels. Today it is valued as the beginning of their literary careers.