Aubrey's Brief Lives

by John Aubrey and John Buchanan-Brown

Book Overview

Compiled as material for Anthony Wood's histories of Oxford University, this text contributes to the oral history of Elizabethan and Stuart England. It parades statesmen, poets, philosopers and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140430792
• ISBN13: 9780140430790
• Release Date: October 1982
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 388 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A superb book for learning history and appreciating style

This collection of short narrative portraits of famous and semi-famous people by a recognized scientist and author is among the most interesting reading you'll enjoy. His information is detailed and personal and Aubrey's writing style is a fine pattern for modern readers as well. I recommend this book without question.

Early gossip columnist

Lives of the rich and famous recorded a time when there were no libel laws meant that even the dirt that wasnt fit to print could be disseminated, whether true or not. It still makes fascinating reading.

A Fine Edition of a Classic

"Brief Lives" has always been a delight, but it was Oliver Lawson Dick's scholarly editing that revealed Aubrey's genius. And Lawson Dick's Introduction, "The Life and Times of John Aubrey", is a miracle of synthesis and compression: certainly one of the finest biographical essays ever written. This Nonpareil Books edition is sumptuous - a joy to read in these days cheap, quickly produced paperbacks.