Author Description

Irascible and still lecherous at age 81, Sir John Falstaff, one of Shakespeareís greatest characters, spins out these memoirs as an antidote to legend, and in so doing manages to recreate his own. Set in an England that was earthy, violent, superstitious, and brimming with a new sense of national purpose, Falstaff brings to life not only the man himself but the whole Elizabethan era. Here we see what history and the Bard overlooked or purposely left out of his plays: what really happened that celebrated night when Falstaff and Justice Shallow heard the chimes at midnight; who killed Hotspur; how many men really fell at Agincourt; what actually transpired at the coronation of Henry V and much, much more!