{"title":"David Nokes","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDavid Nokes\u003c\/strong\u003e offers richly detailed biographies that delve into the lives of literary figures with both scholarship and narrative flair. His works often explore the complexities of character and context, bringing historical personalities vividly to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect insightful explorations that balance factual rigor with engaging storytelling, perfect for those interested in literary history and the colourful lives behind celebrated works. His writing illuminates the human stories at the heart of literary achievement.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"samuel-johnson-by-david-nokes-9780571226368","title":"Samuel Johnson","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohnson, born weak and half-blind, shambolic and poverty-stricken, became the most admired and quoted man in the eighteenth century. Thrown out of Oxford for a lack of funds, he rose to celebrity: author of the Dictionary, a friend to the king, companion of Reynolds, Goldsmith and Garrick.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Nokes looks beyond Johnson's remarkable public persona and beyond the Johnson that Boswell to some extent created. Nokes examines his troubled relationship with his first wife, whom he married for money but felt guilty about for the rest of his life; his family, who haunted his dreams for years; and his difficult, intimate relationship with Mrs Thrale. He shows a man who gave a quarter of the government pension he received to the poor, filled his home with the blind and destitute, and bequeathed his wealth to Frank Barber, an emancipated black slave brought from Jamaica.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInsightful and engaging, \u003cem\u003eSamuel Johnson\u003c\/em\u003e draws an illuminating portrait of Johnson, his life, and world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47471500099820,"sku":"9780571226368","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780571226368-samuel-johnson.jpg?v=1775245278"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/david-nokes.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}