Words That Count: Essays on Early Modern Authorship in Honor of MacDonald P. Jackson

by Brian Boyd (Editor)

Scholars of English literature from New Zealand, the US. Britain, and Switzerland explore questions of authorship and authority in Marlowe, Peele, Shakespeare, Middleton, Webster, and other playwrights in the period from the 1580s to the 1620s. Distributed in the US by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

291 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Brian David Boyd is a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Auckland and a preeminent scholar best known for his definitive work on Vladimir Nabokov. After earning his PhD from the University of Toronto, Boyd was invited by Véra Nabokov to catalogue her husband's archives, leading to his award-winning, two-volume biography, The Russian Years and The American Years. His scholarship on Nabokov remains prolific, encompassing numerous edited volumes, verse translations, and the digital project AdaOnline. Beyond his expertise in Russian literature, Boyd is a pioneer in the field of "biopoetics," exploring the intersections of literature, evolution, and cognition. His landmark book, On the Origin of Stories, argues that storytelling is a biological adaptation rooted in play, applying evolutionary criticism to works ranging from Homer to Dr. Seuss. A versatile intellectual, he has also tackled the biography of philosopher Karl Popper and co-curated major exhibitions on the origins of art. In 2020, his contributions to the humanities were recognized with the Rutherford Medal, the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s highest honor.