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The scholar adventurers

by Richard Daniel Altick

The Scholar Adventures chronicles the research behind some of the most exciting and rewarding discoveries of literary scholars. Here are stories of the detective work that uncovered Sir Thomas Malory's long jail record; the dramatic uncovering of the Boswell papers at Malahide Castle; the true facts in the untimely demise of Christopher Marlowe; stories of the Brontës microscopic books of juvenilia; the decipherment of Samuel Pepys' incomparable diary; the forgeries of "rare" works by Browning, Tennyson, Ruskin, Swinburne, and many others. "This book has several of the characteristics of a well-written detective story. Mr. Altick supplies suspense wherever his subject allows it; his characters include brilliant (and occasionally odd) unravelers of riddles as well as some crafty villains; and his style is brisk. Some pessimistic observers insist that there is no such thing as a book which will appeal to both the specialist and the general reader. Mr. Altick has demonstrated how they can be wrong." - The American Historical Review - Back cover.