No comments about A Journey Through The Life of William Wilberforce.

5 comments about Virginia Woolf.

1. I enjoyed the book, but have a fairly detailed knowledge of Woolf & her contemporaries. I think a new reader of Woolf & her work might get lost in the maze of essentially unexplained personalties & their relationship to Woolf & her circle.



2. I am taking this book slowly and am nearing the end. It is terrific and I find, on the days I take off from reading it, that I miss Virginia Woolf and want to go back to the "place" that is her life. I thank Ms. Lee for giving me a closer intimacy with Virginia Woolf.



3. Probably the best bio of Woolf we are likely to see for some time. Lee has succeeded brilliantly and gracefully in that most elusive and troublesome task of capturing the "spirit" of another human being and then conveying that without simplification or reduction. What is most moving is that Lee allows Woolf her complexity and contradictions, her courage and cowardice, her generosity and meaness, without indulging in a sort of inconoclastic glee in smashing received images of Woolf as victim or feminist icon (or any other of the several and various "Woolfs" to be found these days.) Lee's bio is a stunning feat of sympathetic imagination and rational scholarship which ranks with the other "best" bio of the last 20 years or so, Deirdre Bair's marvelous and beautiful "Simone de Beauvoir." I am grateful to both of these writers.



4. Of the many literary biographies I've read, only Peter Ackroyd's "Dickens" seems to me as "definitive" as Ms. Lee's terrifically compelling book. One finishes it with the sense, however illusory (see Janet Malcolm's extraordinary "The Silent Woman" for a convincing argument that it must be), that the Virginia Woolf found in its pages is essentially identical to the actual woman who lived and wrote and died. Anyone with even a slight interest in her must consider this book essential reading. I found it a real page-turner throughout its considerable length despite being unconvinced of Woolf's literary eminence (except for her sparkling correspondence) and finding her character unattractive (i.e. snobbish, frigid, a false friend, etc.) even by the usual standard for writers.



5. this is the best biography of Virginia Woolf to date. The book is broken into four parts based on four broad periods in VW's life: 1882 - 1904; 1904 -1919; 1919 - 1929; and 1929 - 1941. The chapters, however, are theme-based; for example, Chapter 15 is "Bloomsbury"; Chapter 19 is "War"; Chapter 24 is "Monk's House"; and Chapter 37 is "Fascism". This then serves as a wonderful reference book to go back to read about specific events (war) or themes ("Bloomsbury") without having to search through an index for disjointed entries. Of the four biographies I have read of VW (Quentin Bell's, Hermione Lee's, Julia Brigg's, and James King) I recommend this biography as the one to start. King, 1994, was willing to write more about her personal relationships (read, "sexual") and is a good follow-on.

No comments about Charles I: A Life of Religion, War and Treason.

5 comments about Captain James Cook: A Biography.

1. Before Captain Cook left on his first Voyage of Discovery, 40% of the Earth's surface had not been mapped. By the time he died - eaten by the Hawaiians, with only his thigh bone and uneated hands, one of them bearing a recognizable scar, delivered back to the ship - he had mapped essentially all of the unknown surface of the Earth. This biography is beautifully written. A few months ago I was sitting at a bar in Cook Islands, reading this book, and a local said to me that he had bought about 20 copies to hand out to his boatie friends. You are in for hours of discovery and enjoyment.



2. We Aussies have a great deal of affection for dear old Captain Cook, who mapped our east coast whilst exploring the pacific. This book traces Cook's life and long career in an expert and readable fashion. Cook never advanced as rapidly as Lord Nelson, and traded in strictly military missions for other roles of importance to the Admiralty. But, as this fine biography shows, he stands alongside Nelson as a great British naval hero.



3. When I read this book, I was fascinated by the story of Cook's life (who wouldn't be?) but I was sure this book was a reprint of some turn of the 19th/20th century author. But no, it was published in 1995. So where does this guy get that Australian aborigines are negrotoid and Inuits are mongoloid? Has he read any recent anthropology? Does he still believe in phrenology? He seems not to have read anything besides Beaglehole's biography and Beaglehole's editions of the journals, except for a few other journals by the crew. There is no historiography and no analysis. This book was originally a manuscript Hough found in a Victorian attic, I am sure of it!



4. Destiny. Some people possess an innate psyche as to what they want to do in life. James Cook would be one of those people. From his days as a youth working in an English seaside shop, Cook dreamed of sailing in a ship to discover other lands and people. He did it, becoming one of England's greatest navigators.
   Richard Hough effects a daring read of this fascinating man. With firsthand quotes from the men who were on Cook's three voyages, the book is complete of adventure, misfortunes, perilous storms, native peoples with their ensuing customs and demeanor, geographical descriptions, disorientation, cannibalism, scurvy outbreaks, etc.
   He joined the Royal Navy and worked his way up the ranks becoming surveyor in eastern Canada. With honor and distinction from these years of service, he accepts a position to captain an expedition to the South Pacific for exploration and to study the Transit of Venus for astronomical observations.
   With accolades from this voyage, Cook is again asked to lead an expedition to the South Pacific in order to discover and survey the South Pole. Adventure after adventure follows.
   His third and final voyage is to locate the mythical northwest passage by first journeying east around the Cape of Good Hope and then straight north through Hawaii to the northwest coast of North America. We see during this final expedition that due to a possible parasitic intestinal infection from his previous voyage, Cook's character and conduct is unbecoming of him and at times his behavior is unrestrained. He meets his final days at the hands of Hawaiian natives.
   A discerning look into an accomplished and extraordinary man.



5. I knew a few things about the three voyages of Captain Cook so I decided to read his biography. Well I think I chose right, the author vividly tells the fascinating story of a brave man and his explorations in the pacific and South seas that you just don't want to stop reading, full of adventure and totally enjoyable.
   In each voyage they were away from home almost three years, exploring mostly the polynesian islands, tahiti, new zealand and the fatal Hawai. They were also in the east coast of Australia, Eastern Island, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. I wish I have the opportunity to meet all theses places.
   
   Another great british explorer.

5 comments about Elizabeth & Leicester: Power, Passion, Politics.

1. Fun-to-read book about the romance of Elizabeth I and the Earl of Leicester. There seemed to be a lot of information compiled from many sources to make this a fascinating "tell-all" which is no small feat considering the limitations of digging up such old records which were often all but scarce. This book not only showed Queen Elizabeth I as a woman who could love, but also showed her intelligence in using her head as well as her heart to make her relationships work also to her advantage as queen and for love of her country and able to keep Leicester loyal to the crown until his death. The author did a great job.



2. Sarah Gristwood's new book is good, especially for understanding Elizabeth's relationship with her chief favorite, Robert Dudley, later Earl of Leicester.
   
   Gristwood tells the familiar story of Elizabeth's background and upbringing, and the not-so-familiar one of Dudley's. His father and grandfather were supporters of Edward VI and Henry VII, and were executed for their pains. The narrative picks up with earnest at Elizabeth's accession and appointment of Dudley as Master of the Horse. Rumors soon began about the queen's relationship with him, and Dudley's wife died in mysterious circumstances not too long after. Gristwood evenhandedly examines the possible explanations for her death, and with plenty of hedging, suggests that Cecil was the main beneficiary.
   
   Immediately after his wife's death, Dudley fell out of favor with Elizabeth for some time. Reconciliation followed, as did many more fallings out and reconciliations. Her many suitors were a source of conflict (and Dudley was one of them), as were the ladies at court who caught his eye and that he secretly married or promised to marry. Nevertheless, Dudley was at Elizabeth's side through most of her reign, influential and supportive, resented and admired.
   
   But this book is also disappointing in some ways. There are passages where so many rhetorical questions are used that the implications aren't clear; and awkward modern phrases occasionally intrude (e.g., regarding the birth of his long-awaited heir: "emotionally he must have been in the money"). Charts of family connections would also have been useful, especially for the Dudleys and Elizabeth's maternal relations.
   
   This subject is timely, what with all the recent interest in Elizabeth I and her favorites (Leicester and Essex respectively in the two parts of the HBO miniseries with Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I; and Leicester and Raleigh in the two movies with Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth (Spotlight Series) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age). For an introduction to Elizabeth's life and reign, I prefer Christopher Hibbert's The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. I recommend Sarah Gristwood's book for thorough collectors of Elizabethan material, or for people specifically interested in Leicester himself (books about him are somewhat hard to come by, but Derek Wilson's The Uncrowned Kings of England: The Black History of the Dudleys and the Tudor Throne is an alternative).



3. 
   With the primary documents basically known and castles and historic sites fully documented, 21st century writers are providing general readers with more focus on specific aspects of Tudor history and more interpretation. Recently I've read : The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire, Edward VI: The Lost King of England and After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England These books, like this one, are devoted entirely to a particular aspect of a Tudor reign (or as in the case of one, the end of the Tudor reigns).
   
   Gristwood zeros in on the unique relationship of Elizabeth and Leicester who has been euphemistically called her "favorite". Griswold explores what this might be a euphemism for. There are lots of possibilities, but the author sticks with what is documented and what is credible. She also sticks with her focus, and brings in issues and people only as they relate to her main subject.
   
   I did not know of Leicester's role in sending Mary of Scotland her second husband, nor his role in Elizabeth's French flirtations. I knew of the death of his wife, Amy, but nothing of the other two women in his life. While I had assumed his motives in this royal romance, I never considered his emotional state as he waited for Elizabeth with whom he had shared the experiences of having a beheaded parent. Gristwood, who has obviously poured over every word related to these two as a couple, interprets her findings in a wonderfully readable way.
   
   I eagerly await the many more of these focused Tudor histories, that I presume are in the works. I'm guessing that the next generation of writing will provide more psychological analyis. Some of the topics are suggested by this book. They could be how the royals and their courtiers respond to the socially repressive dangers of the times or how their behavior or political posture results from the trauma in their respective families. One such interesting history could be a serious study of the Essex revolt through a psychological lens.



4. Gives the account of the ever-interesting relationship between Elizabeth I and her Master of the Horse, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. If you love Elizabeth, you will LOVE this analysis on her famous, and sometimes infamous relationship. Very interesting section analyzing Amy Dudley's death and her possible murder/suicide/accidental death...



5. I loved this book, its very detailed and goes into the real lives of the people, inculding their letters . If you love real history, not fiction, this is the book for you. Loved it. For real Tudor buffs!!!

3 comments about William Marshal: Knighthood, War and Chivalry, 1147-1219 (2nd Edition).

1. David Crouch's biography of William Marshal, an icon in his own time, a courtier and knight who served five kings--Henry II, Henry the Young King, Richard the Lionheart, John, and Henry III--as well as a queen, Eleanor of Aquitane, coming to represent the ideal of the corteis (courtly) to his peers and the embodiment of chevalerie for those who have since studied the period, does much to ground the legend and question earlier interpretations that often accepted the contemporary accounts of Marshal's life at face value. Earlier biographers, such as Painter and the French doyen of medieval history, Georges Duby, based much of their understanding of Marshal's life upon the posthumous "Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal," a still extant epic poem commissioned by Marshal's sons and followers to celebrate his life and many accomplishments. Surprisingly, previous writers have chosen to base their biographies, especially Duby, almost entirely upon what is obviously, regardless of any factual accounting, a suspect source, in doing so ignoring other contemporary documents that go a long way to tempering the portrait of Marshal, not only in the "Historie" but in the subsequent biographies from which they were based.

   Instead of the chivalric hero of battlefield and tournament cast in the mold of Chretien de Troyes, or the often fortunate simpleton of Duby that rose to the heights of medieval society through the sheer prowess of his arms, in Crouch we find a poor, relatively minor-born knight who through valor and shrewd financial self-interest uses both the battle and tournament field to promote his own fortunes, aided at times by pure good luck, which he is quick to turn to his own advantage. Upon entry to the courts of the powerful we discover a man who was deft in manipulating the intrigues of his betters for his own benefit, quick to ally himself with those who could help him, adept at playing one party off against another, and, when his politics stumbled, able to ultimately survive and reverse his misfortunes where other men fell. Charismatic, he both received and demanded loyalty from the mesnie and supporters that surrounded him. Generous to his followers, he could be equally stern and unforgiving to those that opposed him, in many ways reflecting the values of the aristocratic society of which he was a part. At the end, he survived both rebellions and the displeasure of the kings whom he served, becoming one of England's most powerful magnates and regent for Henry III, in effect ruling England in the boy king's stead.

   The author uses his biography to examine the role of the mesnie in 12th century medieval society, as well as the function of the tournament, both as a social phenomenon and an avenue for advancement, both financial and social. He investigates the evolving notion of chivalry, both as an ideal and its actual practice. And he makes a cursory foray into the influence of religion, especially as it pertained to the noble's household, with its dependence upon an administration of clerical clerks. As much an insight into medieval military and noble society as a biography, the author has leavened his account with some wonderful anecdotes, such as Richard I's remonstrance with Marshal against killing him in battle, and Henry II's pique with his son over the latter's crossbowmen firing at him during a period of The Young King's insurrection. The various interactions and shifting allegiances between King Henry II and his often recalcitrant sons is illuminating in itself. Though Marshal was often out of the king's favor, Henry II nonetheless twice requested that Marshal serve his son, even though the son was at war with his father, and Marshal's military skills and allegiance would be turned against him! Quite a different mindset than what we're accustomed to today.

   At present, this must be considered the definitive biography of a medieval icon who not only influenced his own times, but the imaginations of subsequent generations. I suspect that many who read this account will be left wishing for more. Both the Painter and Duby biographies have their value, though the former has long been out of print and will require some effort to find. Read their accounts, then use this book to place their flaws in perspective. Also, Crouch indicates that the original "Historie" will soon be available in translation.

   An exceptional book, and very highly recommended. My only complaint is that the price asked by the publisher is preposterous.




2. My brother is a veteran (medic) and once in a long while he remarks on the brothers in a unit he served with in Vietnam in awe, "There were some real fighting SOBs in our unit." Marshal was the master of arms, the greatest of all western knights. Please read this cracker jack book and consider Marshal's lessons on leadership: competence, loyalty, largess, shrewdness in avoiding the axe, empathy, commitment, iron will, courage, and the ability to do the right thing when at the crossroads.
   An example for the later occured when tweleve year old Henry III came to pay his last respects to The Marshal on his death bed. William lectured the King on refraining from "acting" as former kings acted towards others. IOW, Marshal meant, "Don't be a sociopath like your late father King John." I find it odd that no thinks that starving oppenents to death and walling a mother and her child up alive in a castle wall is not sociopathic. Murdering nobles made the southern barons rebel against John, not just having to pay exorbinant amounts to have seizen of their inheritence. After John died of fever, imagine Marshal as regent of England and protector of the young King Henry rallying most of the rebel barons through his strength of character and leading the English army to victory at Lincoln against the remaining rebels and a French army under the banner of the French king's son invited to take the crown of England. Oh, by the way, The Marshall was 70 at that time. William took the Templar oath on his death bed and is buried in London Temple Church along with his son and two of the De Clares.
   Did Henry III take The Marshal's teaching to heart? Hell no. In the years following William's death, Henry was swayed by his "foreign" advisors (French) who pursued a policy of eliminating (the effectiveness of and/or the lives), when possible, The Marshal's descendants in both the male or female lines (De Clares and Marshall intermarried). Can't kill everybody.
   This book ought to be required reading for all U.S. ROTC and military academies cadets on the subject of leadership and ethics. Many of our best character leaders, meaning our brave generals who have spoken up agianst the bungling incompetence of Rumsfeld and Cheney are reminders of the true values of chivalry that is the essence of William the Marshal.
   When I watch Lord of the Rings (the charges into the breach and the rallying speeches) and King Arthur, I think to myself, "That's how it was, except our 24th great grandfather really did slam in to the enemy while his household knights roared, 'God save The Marshal!'" Yes, he really was a fighting SOB. Freedom, truth, and doing the right thing are worth fighting for. The Marshal's values, along with many men and women who held similar values are part of our American and military cultures. William did not go around waterboarding prisoners, but interesting enough the sociopathic Angevins and Normans did. Hell, even the Puritans stopped the practice of dunking as punishment. To think Rumsfeld and Cheney think it is necessary in order to save American cultural values is a lie, a very ancient lie that is making King John smirk in hell and The Marshal whorl in his grave (except it is probably too tight in there for him spin in his cript)at the London Temple Church.



3. This is a fantastic book about one of the Mediaeval period's most powerful and brilliant men. Coming from humble beginnings, William Marshall eventually served four Kings and became the regent of England and guardian of the boy King Henry III son of King John. It is taken from the actual biography commissioned in his honour by his sons, and is the only surviving account of the life of a knight of the 13th century. Eventually made the Earl of Pembroke, William Marshall gives an insight into the life and thought of a mediaeval knight, his ideas of honour, duty and allegiences. A very readable book and highly to be recommended to anyone interested in this period of England's history.

2 comments about Elizabeth I (Profiles in Power).

1. This short book is a good summary of Elizabeth during her reign. It focuses on eight different aspects of her life: the throne, church, nobility, council, court, parliament, military, and her people. It is not very detailed. If you want quick information on the queen, this is the book for you.



2. There are too many biographies of Elizabeth I out there--thankfully this isn't one of them. The author purposely avoided another one, and instead focused on the evaluation of the way the virgin queen used her power. Elizabeth was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty, and had to rebuild the country after the disastrous reign of Bloody Mary. This book shows how she effectively maintained control of the public, the church, the nobility, the court, the council, and the military, and tells us why Elizabeth was able to hold the throne almost 45 years.

   Again, this is not meant to be a biography, so this book assumes that you already have a basic knowledge of Elizabeth's reign. If not, you'll find yourself lost, but if so, you'll learn all kinds of stuff and find yourself looking at this English queen in a whole new light. If you're a student of Tudor England, this one's for you.

5 comments about Never Give in: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill (Leaders in Action Series) (Leaders in Action Series).

1. In reading the reviews under this section, I find that a reader either loves this book or hates it - there is very little middle ground.
   
   I believe those who discount this book are looking for an objective work on the history of Churchill. While this is a very fascinating subject, the market is saturated with such works, so if that is what you are looking for, go elsewhere...
   
   Those who love the book don't seem to place such emphasis on its historical precision; rather on the value of the information as it pertains to their own lives and leadership styles.
   
   I found this book to contain many great nuggets of wisdom and my highlighter saw much action as I poured through the pages.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their leadership qualities. If you are looking for a historical masterpiece, this isn't it nor did the author intend it to be...



2. 
   Delight is an expected find when reading works on or about Winston Spencer Churchill. Joy is the confirmation any time these works attain to the stature and measure of the man. Refreshment is the derivative as joy and delight meet in a polished offering like 'Never Give In.'
   
   Stephen Mansfield has once again done well and served all parties equally in dispensing this gleaned narrative of the Twentieth Century's self-recognized 'Great Man.'
   
   A man's man for all seasons, highlights of the legendary Churchill are brought forth in a parade of honed chapters refined like glistening diamonds. Those seeking heavyweight analysis will even so finish the book satisfied, while newcomers will be impressed especially in these breathtaking times.
   
   Mr. Mansfield wisely moves through Churchill's life subject by subject, examining deftly moments which shaped the Character that so helped weld the first half of this century just gone. Superlatives tax the description of this work that may, in the field of Churchillian retrospectives, become the essential tome for both those initiating study, as well as we who yearn for one more look at a superb man under fire.
   
   The most excellent aspect of the work is Mansfield's examination of Churchill's testimony regarding Jesus, a subject far too long neglected. As is the practice learned from the Master, the best is always saved till last.
   
   TL Farley,
   author,
   When Now Becomes Too Late,
   Distant Reaches
   
   When Now Becomes Too Late { Print Edition }
   
   When Now Becomes Too Late { Kindle Edition
   
   { Prophecy : The Rapture in Brief ! }
   
   
   Distant Reaches { Print Edition }
   
   { True Life Adventures in Ireland, Boston and on the North Atlantic }



3. This book challenges you and tests your knowledge and paradigms.
   I found it thought provoking, intelligent, and sophisticated.
   This should be a must read for everyone who seeks truth and meaning.
   Way to go Mr. Mansfield!!!



4. I'd recommend this book not "only" because of the great information on Churchill's life struggles and events. I'm recommending this book mainly due to the writer's superb writing. I never thought I'd read a biography in one sit. You just can't stop reading, your eyes roll through the text with so much ease and pleasure. You feel Churchill's hardships, his courage, his character. Great book.



5. Mr. Mansfield has done a very nice job. He writes with the presupposition that history is the outworking of the providence and plan of God, a presupposition I accept, and which I believe is overwhelmingly confirmed by history itself. We all view the world through our presuppositions, and none of us can claim "neutrality." Those who "ding" Mansfield for his Christianity or for illuminating the Christian faith of his subject miss the point of the book. Would you have us all live in the ghetto where the only view allowed is secular humanism? Thankfully, we still live in a country where one is allowed to have Christian presuppositions. It was Mansfield's purpose to write from this point of view. If you "ding" him for having that purpose, then are you not saying that there should no freedom to express opinions different from your own? I am most amused by the reviewer who implies that Mansfield cannot understand England because of that country's current spiritual condition. Surely Churchill's England was different from today's England. England's decline (and our own here in America) can be directly traced to abandoning the Author of our lives and freedoms. Mansfield makes the point that Churchill understood England's place in preserving the freedoms of its Christian heritage, not only for itself but also for the western civilization, against the Nazi threats (definitely not the forces of goodness and light).
   
   This history is written by a Christian (Mansfield) about a Christian (Churchill). If Churchill was, indeed, someone who experienced true conversion to Christianity, then his faith would have permeated all that he was and did. It would and did give him the necessary heart and spirit to persevere under severe trial. Conversion is not a matter which has no impact upon the personal and professional life of a man - it will govern all that he is - his thinking and life.
   
   What a great little book! I am also delighted to discover that Churchill, when asked whom he should like to be if he could not be himself, thought about it and answered "Mrs. Churchill's second husband." All of his manly achievements notwithstanding, that aspect of his character put him over the top in my estimation.

5 comments about Born to Rule: Five Reigning Consorts, Granddaughters of Queen Victoria.

1. Fascinating topic but I agree with other reviewers who found the writing poor. It distracted from a what could have been a very powerful look at a pivotal time in the history of the western world.



2. This was an easy and quick read. In addition it gives glimpses into the lives of 5 extraordinary women that are often overlooked by history teachers and professors. Read it! You will not be disappointed!



3. While her sources are impeccable, Gerlardi would have benefited from some serious editing. At times, this reads like a poorly written high school history report-choppy sentences, vague pronouns, and incomplete, abruptly transitioning paragraphs. There is a disconnect between the granddaughters' stories as she has written them, and I agree with other reviewers that a different format-a section for each, with timelines or other graphics to show their overlapping lives-would have been a much better way to tell their stories. I read this immediately after reading FOUR QUEENS by Nancy Goldstone. That book, which has its flaws, is superior to BORN TO RULE.



4. A very good biography on five granddaughters of Queen Victoria who became queens. One of course the well known Alexandra of Russia, the others Maud of Norway, Sophie of Greece, Ena of Spain and Marie of Romania. Its the latter four queens that I bought this book. I knew very little about any of them. Each of them were very interesting in their own rights and events in their lives the author goes in great detail about each one of them from childhood to death. A wonderful read.



5. I learned alot of new facts about the Spanish,Greek and Romamian monarchies. Alot of repeat facts on Nicholas and Alexandra.

5 comments about Shakespeare: The World as Stage.

1. This is a brief, but very enjoyable and elegant read by someone who obviously loves this subject and its environment.
   
   Bill Bryson gives this question of Shakespeare's identity a pretty good shot. There is apparently no definitive answer as to whether he was simply himself, someone else under a pseudo name, or several people under the same pseudo name. Even his portrait that we know him by is questionable. We do get interesting little glimpses of the times and the life of the person who purported to be Shakespeare. We also get glimpses of the stir that Shakespeare created with his work. How could one person, a country person at that, be so sophisticated and knowledgeable about so many important things? His work is so revered that it is studied for authentication purposes almost like biblical manuscripts. Shakespeare, in a word, seems to have created his own weather.
   
   Sometimes the things that surround something or someone are as exciting as the thing itself



2. Bill Bryson is more or less superman in today's literary world. He transcends subjects in a single bound and the globe in another. He's a talented critic, writer and humourist. It's a good job, to use modern vernacular, that he's the daddy because, with this one, he's taken on the mother of all literary subjects.
   
   He's done so wisely. He's not attempted to become an original researcher and posit new theories about the man's identity or his plays and other works. He has essentially evaluated and sumamrised the existing state of Shakepearian debate and study, providing his own critique of what is compelling and credible. Thankfully, Bryson was born without a 'boredom gene' and the book reaches any audience, reading so easily. The man does not do dull.
   
   Typically, Bryson's prose is litered with diverting and revealing anecdoes, we get a potted physical history of the theatre alongside the exposition of the central figure. Bryson is expert at demonstrating the lack of hard information about Shakespeaare (I spelled that incorrectly, but then, so did the Bard...) and the vulnerability about the claims and surmises made about his life and character. That will no doubt ruffle feathers. I found it interesting to learn that Shakespeare had thieved so many of his stories from others. As also did I find the battle for written English over Latin. The fact there were lost plays is new to me too. So to non-Shakespeare scholars this offers a lot.
   
   To those who are scholars I am not sure it will be depthy enough to satisfy but they are not the prime audience I'd suppose. Bryson's great economy of expression, wit and clarity mean he is less self-indulgent in this book than perhaps any other of his that I have read (which is all but one, that being the African diaries). Although always near the surface, his trademark wit is less in evidence, reserved for a full scale assault on those who feel Shakespeare was somebody else. That business is clearly a cottage industry and I know Bryson has trodden on somebody else's cucumbers here by reason of the ridicule he heaps on the alternate theories.
   
   It is a short book. There could have been more. But how much more was truly needed? And at whatever point should he have stopped on an almost inexhaustible subject populated by many including purists and pedants? Nevertheless one gets the impression he made a judgement about the length that possibly excluded a little more hard work examining various omissions from the life of the Bard and those who knew or worked with him.
   
   Bryson's book has one central curiosity. It is really the oppositite of a biography - more a book about what we don't know than what we do - and that is refreshing in itself. I think he's done a first rate job here given how well aired the subject is.
   
   And for his next trick...?
   
   Incidentally, the title I gave to this is a quote from one of the Bard's plays and seems to convey Bryson's attitude to much of the literature he discovered!



3. With this book, the ever succinct Bill Bryson exposes how little we know and can know about one of the world's most recognized figures. The writer left only a few bland papers, wills and court fillings. His time left some engravings, some diaries. Of course, there are the plays themselves and the sonnets, mined for biography by many. Much of what is commonly believed is conjecture or invention from a sense of "had to be" that only started long after his death with each generation adding, not examining prior imaginings. Our need to know a man of such influence and the absence of first hand accounts forced their creation and promoted their endurance.
   
   That great bald head. Every one of the three - and there are only three - portrayals of him are open to question. Was this or that lord his patron or do we just repeat the opinions of biographers writing long after his death? Ever look over the new globe theatre in London, the "reproduction" of Shakespeare's original? One, just one, image of a theatre like it survives. Not it, of one just like it and so you looked around what? And Bryson even finds space for the line of strangely named enthusiasts who believed someone else wrote Shakespeare, that a man from backwater Stratford had no business exploring humanity.
   
   This small book shows once again that the most interesting of history is the making of history itself, exposing her process, that showing how little we can know is the greatest gift of the truly inquisitive.



4. In Shakespeare: The World as Stage, Bill Bryson tackles the enigma that is Shakespeare by majoring on only those facts that are definitely known about him. Much time is spent exploring the world of Shakespeare's day to reach an understanding of the kind of man he was in relation to his era and his people. Bryson makes the case that a surprising quantity of details survive for this man in an age when such things were rarely codified. Bryson also explores Shakespeare's family, his role as actor, the rumors surrounding him, and answers the claims that he was not who history says he is. His wit and logic as he debunks the many baseless theories and projections about other Shakespeares is truly worth the read. Grade: A.



5. 
   Bryson is the perfect choice for this addition to the "Eminent Lives" series, as he takes what little is known about Shakespeare's life and distills it into an easily digestible biography. Conceding that little is known about Shakespeare, Bryson succeeds in capturing the writer and bringing his life into the best focus possible. Filling in the few details he can, Bryson proceeds to create an idea of Shakespeare that forms as solid a portrait as we are ever likely to get. While that alone is praiseworthy, the real outstanding achievement in this work is Bryson's dissection of the "Who really wrote Shakespeare's plays?" myths with a case by case demolition of each one of those silly attempts by others to find the "real" Shakespeare. All the pretenders are examined and thoroughly debunked and that alone makes this book must reading.