The Prelude is an autobiographical poem in blank verse by Wordsworth. It is a poetic reflection on poetry itself in 14 books published after Wordsworth's death in 1850, with this title suggested by Mary Wordsworth. The Prelude is by common consent the poet's greatest work; and it is astonishing that Wordsworth's fame in his lifetime as the architect of Romantic Conservatism was actually achieved wiithout it.
See:
http://www.bartleby.com/145/wordchrono.html
