In Robert Southey , Andrews argues that Robert Southey's denunciation of global Catholicism is essential to understanding his life, works, and times. On this issue, Southey was absolutely consistent in all his work and the Poet Laureate's partisan rhetoric reveals much about the religious culture of this stormy period in England.

"The Catalogue ... has been prepared with a view to accomplish two objects. One, to offer an inventory of all the books on the shelves of the Reference Department of the Manchester Free Library: the other, to supply ... a ready Key both to the subjects of the books, and to the names of the authors." - v. 1, the compiler to the reader.