Boyd, Brian

Readers who are more interested in a Bill Brysonesque treatment of the bard and his "greatest hits" will take a pass on this one. Boyd's line-by-line analysis of Shakespeare's lyrical mastery and his exploration of its connections to evolutionary and psychological theories will be best appreciated by higher-level students of the field and committed Shakespeare aficionados.

As is common with such collections, there's a degree of repetitiveness, with some facts, anecdotes, and quoted passages found in more than one piece. But readers can skip around among the aspects of Nabokov that interest the most—or, for example, they can read the several chapters on Nabokov's scientific interests to broaden their own understanding. A readable collection on one of the 20th century's greatest writers, this will be enjoyed by Nabokov fans and students of 20th-century literature.