One of Britain's most popular and esteemed historians tells the epic story of the birth of England. The first in an extraordinary six-volume history, "Foundation" takes the reader from the primeval forests of England's prehistory to the death, in 1509, of the first Tudor king, Henry VII.

Biographer and novelist Ackroyd brings William Shakespeare to life in the manner of a contemporary rather than a biographer. His method is to position the playwright in the context of his world, exploring everything from Stratford's humble town to its fields of wildflowers; discerning influences on the plays from unexpected quarters; and entering London with the playwright as modern theatre, as we know it, is just beginning to emerge. Writing as though...

Profiles the eventful life of master fourteenth-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, recounting his life as a courtier, diplomat, and literary luminary, who was also indicted for rape, sued for debt, and captured in battle.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Peter Ackroyd wrote countless book reviews and articles for the Spectator, on literature, film and a number of social and cultural issues. This book offers a selection of these pieces.

A young poet and an elderly novelist engage the mystery of Thomas Chatterton by trying to decode the clues found in an old manuscript, only to discover that their investigation discloses other riddles for which there are no solutions.

A biography of the life and work of the celebrated English novelist.

Part 1: Examining the birth of Romanticism through the lenses of art and uprising, this program illustrates the political and cultural roots of the movement. The film begins by describing the significance of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, his influence on the French Revolution, and his belief that civilization and governmental systems suppress the individual human spirit. Linking Rousseau's philosophy to the emergence of New World political ideals and the...

Simply stated, William Blake "regarded himself as marked out by fate," says Blake biographer Peter Ackroyd. In this program, Ackroyd, art historian William Vaughan, Tate Britain's Michael Phillips, and poets Tom Paulin, Kathleen Raine, and Adrian Mitchell discuss Blake's works and examine the events and attitudes that shaped the self-styled prophet of Albion. Excerpts from Blake's writings and images of his paintings and etchings, along with dramatizations...