Aubrey’s Brief Lives (Folio Society Edition) – John Aubrey

John Aubrey’s *Brief Lives* is a pioneering collection of candid biographical sketches that essentially invented modern biography. As an inveterate gossip and keen observer, Aubrey compiled intimate, anecdotal morsels on contemporaries like Shakespeare, Milton, and Sir Walter Raleigh. His frank portraits, detailing the flaws and humanity of figures from the Elizabethan and Restoration eras alongside soldiers, scholars, and even impostors, bring historical giants down to a surprisingly human scale, offering a uniquely lively and unforgettable glimpse into 17th-century life.