Robert Browning the Ring and the Book Author:Robert Browning, Richard D. Altick (Editor) Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book has been hailed by critics and readers alike as one of the masterpieces of English literature, a triumph of dramatic poetry. Though in his lifetime it quickly became his best-selling work, in the 20th century the book lost readership and, sadly, did not become the widely-known classic it once showed pr... more »omise of becoming. Centered around the scene of a murder trial, the story of The Ring and the Book is narrated in the form of multi-character monologues. The ambitious 21,000 line poem is sure to captivate today's reader just as much as its unconventional form surprised those who first rummaged through its pages back in 1868.« less