Ackroyd, Peter 1949-

Dickens by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
23 editions published between 1990 and 2002 in English and French and held by 2,735 libraries worldwide
A biography of the life and work of the celebrated English novelist.

The life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
19 editions published between 1998 and 2007 in English and held by 2,691 libraries worldwide
A biography of Catholic martyr and saint, Thomas More, discussing his formidable intellect, political skill, and the steadfast faith that resulted in his beheading when he refused to follow King Henry VIII's lead in severing England's ties to the Catholic Church.

Shakespeare : the biography by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
19 editions published between 2005 and 2010 in English and French and held by 2,346 libraries worldwide
Biographer and novelist Ackroyd brings William Shakespeare to life in the manner of a contemporary rather than a biographer. His method is to position the playwright in the context of his world, exploring everything from Stratford's humble town to its fields of wildflowers; discerning influences on the plays from unexpected quarters; and entering London with the playwright as modern theatre, as we know it, is just beginning to emerge. Writing as though we are observing Shakespeare and his circle of friends, patrons, managers, and fellow actors and writers, Ackroyd is able to see Shakespeare's genius from within, so we feel that Ackroyd the writer merges with Shakespeare the writer, the poet, the man; and thus with great sympathy and clarity we experience the way in which Shakespeare worked.--From publisher description.

Blake by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
24 editions published between 1995 and 2008 in 4 languages and held by 2,125 libraries worldwide
"Born in 1757, the son of a London hosier, William Blake - poet, painter, and engraver - possessed one of the most original and fertile creative geniuses of his age. Yet his strange aloofness and claims of supernatural visions caused many in his own time and since to doubt his sanity, and much of his astonishing poetry and visual art remains unfamiliar. Now, Peter Ackroyd gives us a biography of the enigmatic eighteenth-century master, clarifying at last the true nature of Blake's extraordinary life and art." "Ackroyd's narrative traces Blake's progression from his childhood in a Dissenting household, through his apprenticeship as an engraver and his studies at the newly formed Royal Academy Schools, to his full maturity, during which he produced his great masterpieces - Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Jerusalem, and Milton, to name only a few - works that were as neglected during his lifetime as they are celebrated today." "Re-creating time and place as only he can, Ackroyd locates Blake in the complex context of his external world - a cross section of eighteenth-century London inflamed by various forms of radicalism, mysticism, and sexual magic, squarely opposed to the age's prevailing faith in rationalism. But he also shows us the cockney visionary as the creator of his own lavish interior world, a universe filled with angels and spirits. It is in Blake's utterly unique art that these two worlds meet, as Ackroyd reveals in his dazzling interpretations of Blake's poetry and the many paintings and engravings beautifully reproduced in this volume."--BOOK JACKET.

London : the biography by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
22 editions published between 2000 and 2010 in English and held by 2,049 libraries worldwide
"... traces thematically [London's] growth from the time of the Druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century."--Dust jacket.

T.S. Eliot : a life by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
1 edition published in 1984 in English and held by 1,869 libraries worldwide

The casebook of Victor Frankenstein : a novel by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
18 editions published between 2008 and 2010 in English and held by 1,535 libraries worldwide
This volume merges historical fiction with literary license to create an alternative reality in which Victor Frankenstein, the fictional scientist created by Mary Shelley, who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature. Frankenstein was one of Percy Shelley's (who became Mary Shelley's husband) schoolmates and close friends. In this retelling of the legend, Percy is the one who first gives Frankenstein the idea of creating a monster. Soon, both Frankenstein and the Monster are deeply entwined in the lives of the Shelleys and Lord Byron, becoming the cause of many of the strange occurrences that take place in their lives, including the inspiration for Mary Shelley's book. This book is a fascinating blending of Shelley's original novel, pulling occasional direct quotes from it, and a speculation about the real-life people who were involved in its creation.

Chaucer by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
18 editions published between 2004 and 2005 in English and French and held by 1,506 libraries worldwide
Profiles the eventful life of master fourteenth-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, recounting his life as a courtier, diplomat, and literary luminary, who was also indicted for rape, sued for debt, and captured in battle.

The Lambs of London : a novel by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
24 editions published between 2004 and 2008 in 4 languages and held by 1,369 libraries worldwide
For bored siblings Charles and Mary Lamb, the works of Shakespeare furnish a respite from the boredom and domesticity of their lives, until William Ireland, an antiquarian bookseller, claims to possess a long-lost Shakespearean play.

Chatterton by Peter Ackroyd ( Book )
44 editions published between 1987 and 2008 in 12 languages and held by 1,346 libraries worldwide
A young poet and an elderly novelist engage the mystery of Thomas Chatterton by trying to decode the clues found in an old manuscript, only to discover that their investigation discloses other riddles for which there are no solutions.