Idle Hours in a Library

A lively assortment of short essays invites listeners to wander through the everyday world of late‑Sixteenth‑ and early‑Seventeenth‑century England. Drawing on diaries, pamphlets and popular theatre, the author sketches street scenes, tavern chatter and the rhythms of work and play that shaped Shakespeare’s London. The pieces are conversational rather than scholarly, offering vivid anecdotes that hint at the social currents behind the great works of the period.

The collection also turns its eye to the early novel, exploring figures such as the authors of “Oroonoko” and “The New Atalantis,” as well as the lesser‑known writings of women like Behn and Manley. These brief studies aim to spark curiosity, suggesting why these pioneering stories still matter to modern readers. Listeners will come away with a fresh appreciation for the textures of a bygone city and the literary experiments that began there.