This volume, the third in a collection of the complete correspondence of Clara and Robert Schumann, consists mostly of letters preceding the couple's wedding in September 1840. They document the last phase of Robert's lawsuit against Friedrich Wieck aimed at obtaining permission to marry, Robert's love for lieder and his difficult search to find a suitable opera subject from motifs in E.T. A. Hoffman's works, as well as his close friendships with Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt. They also reveal what would later become a conflict between Robert's desire for a stay-at-home wife and Clara's career ambitions and how, on the other hand, he spoke to her self-doubts in a supportive manner. Clara's letters, written during their marriage at times when she went on tour alone, reveal news about her concerts and her reaction to such famous men as Hans Christian Andersen and Niels Gade. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)