author
John Aubrey
1626–1697
Best known for Brief Lives, this wonderfully curious 17th-century writer captured the quirks, habits, and personalities of the people around him with unusual warmth and sharp observation. He also helped preserve some of England’s ancient monuments through careful notes made long before archaeology became a formal field.
4 Audiobooks
The Natural History of Wiltshire
by John Aubrey
Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects
by John Aubrey
Brief Lives, Vol. 2
by John Aubrey
Brief Lives, Vol. 1
by John Aubrey
About the author
Born in Wiltshire in 1626, John Aubrey was an English antiquary, biographer, and writer with a restless interest in people, places, and the past. He is remembered above all for Brief Lives, a lively collection of biographical sketches that feels strikingly modern in its eye for character and revealing detail.
Aubrey’s curiosity ranged far beyond literary portraiture. He recorded ancient sites and landmarks across southern England, including important early observations of Avebury and Stonehenge, which is why he is often described as a pioneer of archaeology. His notebooks and manuscripts preserved details that might otherwise have been lost.
Though much of his work circulated in manuscript during his lifetime rather than appearing neatly published, his reputation has lasted because of the freshness of his voice. He wrote about scholars, poets, scientists, and eccentrics as real people, and that blend of learning, gossip, and human insight still makes him a fascinating companion centuries later.