Wow does the blurb oversell this! These are little sketches written by Chesterton in his late 20s, for publication in daily newspapers, and while they are entertaining and interesting, they aren't *actual biography*! Chesterton was not researching facts and trying to write an account of a person's l

Whenever I feel that the shadows are gathering around me, and all my efforts are coming to naught, I pick up a volume of G.K. Chesterton and find that I've just been looking at things through the wrong end of the telescope.

Twelve Types: A Collection of Mini-Biographies is ostensibly a collection of

The essay on William Morris is a masterpiece in miniature.

As always, the language of Chesterton is sometimes confusing but utterly captivating. When writing biographies, his approach is also, unsurprisingly, very peculiar. Most biographers focus on the person's life details: his childhood, where he went to school, how he met his wife, what he did for profe

A fine set of cameos - in GKC's inimitable style. Makes me want to read Scott, Bronte and Pope.

If you enjoy Chesterton and biographies, this tiny work is a treat, as you get his inimitable prose together with snapshots of individuals who seem only connected by their being of interest to Chesterton, namely:
Charlotte Bronte
William Morris
Lord Byron
Alexander Pope
St. Francis
Edmond Rostand
King Char

I don't know if I would say that these are biographies so much as essays on each person's writing style. G.K. Chesterton, being a master of the craft himself, does it with panache on the authors he likes and eviscerates those he does not. It's a testimony to the craft, and well worth a bibliophile's