Overview

In this lively, fascinating account of the publication of Shakespeares Sonnets, noted biographer Clinton Heylin brings their convoluted history to light, beginning with the first complete appearance of the Sonnets in print in May, 1609. He introduces us to the unholy alliance involved in this precarious enterprise: Thomas Thorpe, the publisher, a self-described well wishing adventurer; George Eld, the printer, heavily embroiled in large-scale pirating; William Aspley, the prestigious bookseller, who mysteriously ended his association with Thorpe soon after. Leaving the calamitous world of Elizabethan publishing, Heylin goes on to chart the many editions of the Sonnets through the years and the editorial decisions that led to their present configuration. Passionate, astute, and brilliantly entertaining, the result is a concise and vivid history of perhaps the greatest poetry ever written.

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9780306818059

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Reviews

<b><i>Augusta Metro Spirit</i>, 9/9</b> A breathtaking account of the <i>Sonnets</i>...Heylin offers a stunning look at a literary mystery...They may be some of the greatest love poems of all time, but within the pages of Heylin's latest exploration readers have the opportunity to learn that the <i>Sonnets</i> themselves are only the beginning of the story. <b><i>Choice</i>, October 2009 issue</b> Offers a tantalizing examination of the role of the Stationers' Company and the perils of copyright ownership in the 17th century...An interesting review of the publication history of <i>Sonnets</i>, from early private circulation of the poems to the present century. <b><i>Magill Book Review</i>, October 2009</b> A fascinating, scholarly and thorough history of Shakespeare's sonnets from 1590 to 2009. Nothing ever written about William Shakespeare and his works is without controversy; nor will this volume escape controversy. Clinton Heylin has taken on one of the most controversial subjects in this stellar, painstaking book. <b><i>Reference and Research Book News</i>, November 2009</b> This new angle on the sonnets and the background to their publication is intriguing and worth including in any Shakespeare library. <b><i>Midwest Book Review</i></b> Highly entertaining, educational, and recommended reading.

The author of Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades (1991) and Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry (1995) concludes that an even more famous bard was both victim and beneficiary of booklegging when Shake-speares Sonnets appeared in 1609.Heylin alludes frequently to his hero Dylan ( the Shakespeare of his day? ) and sees numerous correlations between the mysterious case of the Sonnets and the bootlegging of rock recordings. But he has also done his homework and presents in often frisky language some convincing answers to questions that have perplexed scholars for centuries. Did Shakespeare approve the publication of these intimate poems? Who was the W.H. of the dedication? Who were the real-life prototypes for the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet? Did he write those last two weak Cupid sonnets? Or A Lover's Complaint, that long boring poem published with the Sonnets? Heylin demonstrates a scholar's diligence and even makes a quick allusion to Jonathan Bate's forthcoming Soul of the Age: A Biography of the Mind of William Shakespeare. But the author has come to bury, not praise most previous scholars and theorists, including venerable Shakespearean A.L. Rowse. Heylin is particularly disparaging about the work of Katherine Duncan-Jones, editor of Arden's 1997 edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Only near the end does he credit Duncan-Jones for being the first modern academic to recognize that the 108 Fair Youth sonnets are a sequence unto themselves. Heylin's primary complaint about most of the experts is their determination to make what few facts there are conform to preconceptions - e.g., that Shakespeare could not have been bisexual. The author nominates minor poet John Davies as the most likely candidate to have snitched the sonnets and composed A Lover's Complaint. Will not endear Heylin to academics, but does disperse some smoke while fanning the flames of this fiery debate. (Kirkus Reviews)

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09<br> [Heylin has] done his homework and presents in often frisky language some convincing answers to questions that have perplexed scholars for centuries. Did Shakespeare approve the publication of these intimate poems? Who was the 'W.H.' of the dedication? Who were the real-life prototypes for the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet? Did he write those last two weak Cupid sonnets? Or 'A Lover's Complaint, ' that long boring poem published with the Sonnets? Heylin demonstrates a scholar's diligence...Will not endear Heylin to academics, but does disperse some smoke while fanning the flames of this fiery debate. <br><p> Booklist, 5/1/09<br> Heylin produces such an enthralling account...that no ardent Shakespearean will cry, 'Hold! Enough!' <p> Roanoke Time, 4/26/09<br> Heylin draws an interesting comparison between William Shakespeare and Bob Dylan, 'a singer-poet' himself...The book is also well-referenced, and the sonnets themselves are included, which helps greatly. Lovers of Shakespeare's work as well as historians will benefit from Heylin's definitive work. <p> Library Journal, 6/1/09<br> With clear prose and an obvious love for his subject, Heylin here celebrates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's sonnets...A literary detective story...that will interest all lovers of Shakespeare and literature. <p>Bookpage.com, June 2009<br> [A] riveting account of the tangled publication history of one of our literature's most famous, and infamously mysterious, volumes...Heylin applies his encyclopedic mental database of the ways and means of bootlegging with a scholarly but entirely unstuffy zeal, revealing in the bargain commonsensical answers to the questions the sonnets have provoked for centuries...Every imaginable question raised by every subsequent edition of the Sonnets is taken on by Heylin, and answered with passion and substance. <p> Los Angeles Times, Jacket Copy Blog, 5/20/09<br> As to why this is important, par

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09 [Heylin has] done his homework and presents in often frisky language some convincing answers to questions that have perplexed scholars for centuries. Did Shakespeare approve the publication of these intimate poems? Who was the 'W.H.' of the dedication? Who were the real-life prototypes for the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet? Did he write those last two weak Cupid sonnets? Or 'A Lover's Complaint, ' that long boring poem published with the Sonnets? Heylin demonstrates a scholar's diligence...Will not endear Heylin to academics, but does disperse some smoke while fanning the flames of this fiery debate. Booklist, 5/1/09 Heylin produces such an enthralling account...that no ardent Shakespearean will cry, 'Hold! Enough!' Roanoke Time, 4/26/09 Heylin draws an interesting comparison between William Shakespeare and Bob Dylan, 'a singer-poet' himself...The book is also well-referenced, and the sonnets themselves are included, which helps greatly. Lovers of Shakespeare's work as well as historians will benefit from Heylin's definitive work. Library Journal, 6/1/09 With clear prose and an obvious love for his subject, Heylin here celebrates the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's sonnets...A literary detective story...that will interest all lovers of Shakespeare and literature. Bookpage.com, June 2009 [A] riveting account of the tangled publication history of one of our literature's most famous, and infamously mysterious, volumes...Heylin applies his encyclopedic mental database of the ways and means of bootlegging with a scholarly but entirely unstuffy zeal, revealing in the bargain commonsensical answers to the questions the sonnets have provoked for centuries...Every imaginable question raised by every subsequent edition of the Sonnets is taken on by Heylin, and answered with passion and substance. Los Angeles Times, Jacket Copy Blog, 5/20/09 As to why this is important, par

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09<br> [Heylin has] done his homework and presents in often frisky language some convincing answers to questions that have perplexed scholars for centuries. Did Shakespeare approve the publication of these intimate poems? Who was the 'W.H.' of the dedication? Who were the real-life prototypes for the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet? Did he write those last two weak Cupid sonnets? Or 'A Lover's Complaint, ' that long boring poem published with the Sonnets? Heylin demonstrates a scholar's diligence...Will not endear Heylin to academics, but does disperse some smoke while fanning the flames of this fiery debate. <br><p> Booklist, 5/1/09<br> Heylin produces such an enthralling account...that no ardent Shakespearean will cry, 'Hold! Enough!' <p> Roanoke Time, 4/26/09<br> Heylin draws an interesting comparison between William Shakespeare and Bob Dylan, 'a singer-poet' himself...The book is also well-referenced, and the sonnets themselves are included,

Author Information

Clinton Heylin is the author of many books, including Behind the Shades, widely regarded as the definitive biography of Bob Dylan. He lives in Somerset, England.

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