Flawed diminishing of a great British genius
Writing a biography of a famous person carries an ethical responsibility to convey, or at least try to convey, a sense of what made that person great. If one wants to understand the genius and polymath that was Sir Francis Bacon (the authors of this work deny him his title) then this book will lead away from such discoveries. There is evidence of diligent research that makes the book interesting to scholars and by and large it is well written and readable, but Baconians will be offended by its persistently mean-spirited view of a shallow self-serving man, wheeling and dealing in the cause of his own advancement. There is ample evidence that Bacon was loved by contemporaries (friends) who appreciated him as a poet,a philosopher,a wit,a superb speaker and a man of generosity whose contribution to English Rennaissance thought was of inestimable value to mankind.You will not find him here.