Download or read book Sir John Harington and the Book as Gift written by Jason Scott-Warren and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sir John Harington (1560-1612) has long been recognized as one of the most colorful and engaging figures at the English Renaissance court. Godson of Queen Elizabeth, translator of Ariosto, and inventor of the water-closet, he was also a lively writer in a wide variety of modes, and an acute commentator on his times. Combining detailed readings and first-hand historical research, this study reconstructs the complex, often devious agenda that Harington wrote into his books as he customized them for specific individuals and occasions.