Publisher, Naxos Audiobooks (September 1995)

William Shakespeare, Sir Walter Raleigh, Thomas Hobbes - three of the greatest Englishmen who ever lived. They, and many others, are here remembered by another great Englishman, John Aubrey, whose Brief Lives are some of the wittiest and most moving miniature portraits ever written. Aubrey - a scholar, antiquarian and close observer of both the foibles and the courage of his contemporaries - lived through the upheavals of the English Civil War in the 17th century. His little biographies are amusing, ribald, moving; a testament to the brevity of human existence and one of the most precious relics of a distant age.

About the Narrator: Brian Cox is one of Britain's leading actors. His two Olivier awards represent highlights in decades of leading roles with the RSC and Royal National Theatre (including King Lear, Richard Ill and Titus Andronicus) though he also played Captain Ahab in Moby Dick on Broadway. His TV and film work is equally varied, including Rob Roy, Braveheart, Manhunter and Hidden Agenda. He is now increasingly active as a director (Richard Ill and The Master Builder).