Life and Art of Edwin Booth - Paperbound

by William Winter

"This biography rests upon intimate personal knowledge of the subject, and upon information furnished to me by Booth himself. He was aware that I intended to write his Life, and he expressed approval of that intention."from the author's preface

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1893

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

William Winter was an American dramatic critic and author.

Reviews

[Hannah Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an 1893 copy of this book, and I knew straight away that I would treasure it immensely. More a memorial than a biography, the book tends toward hagiography and it lacks much in-depth analysis or insight. Given the time period, and the fact that this was written by a close friend of Booth's, this is hardly surprising and not terribly disappointing. William Winter writes beautifully, and he paints a lovely portrait in discussing Booth's acting as well as his personality. The first half of the book focuses on Booth's life, and the second half gives an overview of each of the characters Booth played throughout his career. Very little is said about Booth's younger, more infamous brother and the assassination of Lincoln, but I appreciated that. John Wilkes took enough away from his brother without having to take up more space in a book about his life. This was a fine portrait of a fine man, and a pleasant, quick read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not the best or the most comprehensive biography of Booth out there, but it paints a vivid portrait of Booth's most famous "personations" -- Hamlet, Richard III and other epic roles -- and what distinguished those performances. It also provides the invaluable view of a contemporary, a man who moved in the same 19th-century circles as Booth and Mark Twain. Excellent timeline at the back, and a moving list of tributes that were made to Booth upon his death by an array of luminaries.

[Clair · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Vasarian-like account of Edwin Booth's life. The last section of the book includes family trees, time lines, letters, etc. which is useful for the researcher. But if you are looking for a good biography of Booth, I'd recommend something more modern like Titone's book.