Brief Lives

by John Aubrey, Andrew Clark

Overview

With deft, picturesque prose, Aubrey presents biographical sketches for an intriguing and colorful parade of statesmen, poets, philosophers, and scientists, including Walter Raleigh, Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Thomas Hobbes, and Rene Descartes, as well as a host of lesser known but equally fascinating figures. This anecdotal, gossipy collection brings to life the tumultuous world of Elizabethan and Stuart England and its revolutions in politics, science and morality. At the same time, Aubrey revels in the sheer variety of human nature and in the detailed, intimate, and sometimes scandalous aspects of his subjects' lives. An antiquarian, Aubrey began his collection as source material for his friend Anthony Wood's histories of Oxford University. In this new edition, more faithful to the original text than previous versions, Brief Lives emerges as a revolution in the art of English biography, a mixture of entertainment and erudition, and a lively portrait of an age.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781023325004
Publisher:	Anson Street Press
Publication date:	03/29/2025
Pages:	738
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.47(d)

About the Author

John Aubrey (1626-1697) was a British writer, antiquarian, and archaeologist. He lived and worked toward the end of the Scientific Revolution, a time when the process, methods, and standards of modern science first began to be developed. Remembered today for his curious spirit, attention to detail, and passion for inquiry, Aubrey was a renowned researcher in his day, discovering and recording numerous megalithic monuments, Roman ruins, and burial sites, as well as tracing the history of British place names. He was also a dedicated folklorist, studying the traditions, customs, and religions of the British people. Brief Lives, his most famous work, is a collection of short biographical studies of hundreds of British poets, politicians, playwrights, scientists, and other intellectual or public figures.