Sheridan of Drury Lane

IN spite of its title, this book is not to be put in the ordinary run of meretricious commercial biography. It is a serious work, reflecting a sincere affection for its subject and a painstaking effort to know both him and his period as they actually were. It is written simply, straightforwardly, and in the best of good taste. These qualities give any book a great deal of carrying power, and with such a superb subject as Sheridan to display them on, their force increases tenfold. As a parliamentarian, patriot, dramatist, wit, above all as a gentleman of fine integrity, Sheridan stands out nobly against the background of a time when England’s public life and social life were wallowing at their lowest level. He should be better known by us of an equally unworthy age, and Miss Glasgow’s book is quite the one by which to know him.