This is the first book of its kind to consider at length Coleridge's relationship to his near contemporary, Friedrich Schiller. Contrary to received opinion, the author shows that Schiller's notion of 'aesthetic education' was indeed valuable to Coleridge at an early stage in his career and that it helped to shape much of his work - from his theory of imagination and his notion of the clerisy to his views on women and his account of historical change. Combining close readings with historical research, this book challenges readers to rethink the radical potential of idealist aesthetics.