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So Long as Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare s Sonnets Hardcover – May 26, 2009

by Clinton Heylin (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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In this lively, fascinating account of the publication of Shakespeare's Sonnets, noted biographer Clinton Heylin brings their convoluted history to light, beginning with the first complete appearance of the Sonnets in print in May, 1609. He introduces us to the “unholy alliance” involved in this precarious enterprise: Thomas Thorpe, the publisher, a self-described “well wishing adventurer;” George Eld, the printer, heavily embroiled in large-scale pirating; William Aspley, the prestigious bookseller, who mysteriously ended his association with Thorpe soon after.

Leaving the calamitous world of Elizabethan publishing, Heylin goes on to chart the many editions of the Sonnets through the years and the editorial decisions that led to their present configuration. Passionate, astute, and brilliantly entertaining, the result is a concise and vivid history of perhaps the greatest poetry ever written.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Da Capo Press
  4. Publication date
    May 26, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0306818051
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0306818059
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In May 1609, Thomas Thorpe published what are now the best-known examples of their kind ever written. In an age that loved long titles, Thorpe felt a two-word title, Shake-speare’s Sonnets, would sell the book. Bingo, but a second printing never happened, and from that day to this, the sonnets and the long poem appended to them, “A Lover’s Complaint,” have been constantly controversial. Who gave them to Thorpe? Who wrote their inferior appendix? Who are they all about? Heylin, the world’s foremost (Bob) Dylanologist, says that the reason for all the analyzing, conjecturing, and feuding is that Thorpe’s publication was a bookleg—like a bootleg recording, something that wasn’t supposed to be put into public trade. It was probably suppressed because it had to be rediscovered 100 years later, after which the fur really flew. Tracing the centuries of bio-biblio hugger-mugger roused by Thorpe’s simple attempt to make a killing, Heylin produces such an enthralling account (despite the steady blizzard of obscure names) that no ardent Shakespearean will cry, “Hold! Enough!” --Ray Olson

Review

Kirkus Reviews, 4/15/09
“[Heylin has] done his homework and presents in often frisky language some convincing answers to questions that have perplexed scholars for centuries. Did Shakespeare approve the publication of these intimate poems? Who was the ‘W.H.’ of the dedication? Who were the real-life prototypes for the Dark Lady, the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet? Did he write those last two weak Cupid sonnets? Or ‘A Lover’s Complaint,’ that long boring poem published with the Sonnets? Heylin demonstrates a scholar’s diligence…Will not endear Heylin to academics, but does disperse some smoke while fanning the flames of this fiery debate.”

Augusta Metro Spirit, 9/9 “A breathtaking account of the Sonnets…Heylin offers a stunning look at a literary mystery…They may be some of the greatest love poems of all time, but within the pages of Heylin’s latest exploration readers have the opportunity to learn that the Sonnets themselves are only the beginning of the story.”

Choice, October 2009 issue
“Offers a tantalizing examination of the role of the Stationers’ Company and the perils of copyright ownership in the 17th century…An interesting review of the publication history of Sonnets, from early private circulation of the poems to the present century.”

Magill Book Review, October 2009
“A fascinating, scholarly and thorough history of Shakespeare’s sonnets from 1590 to 2009. Nothing ever written about William Shakespeare and his works is without controversy; nor will this volume escape controversy. Clinton Heylin has taken on one of the most controversial subjects in this stellar, painstaking book."

Reference and Research Book News, November 2009
“This new angle on the sonnets and the background to their publication is intriguing and worth including in any Shakespeare library.”

Midwest Book Review
“Highly entertaining, educational, and recommended reading.”

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; First Edition (May 26, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306818051
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306818059
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

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Clinton Heylin

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Helen Heightsman Gordon, Ed. D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Heylin's convincing evidence that the Sonnets were "booklegged"
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2010
Verified Purchase
I just wrote several paragraphs of praise for Mr. Heylin's book, only to have them disappear when I tried to edit a line.
So I'll just say that I concur with the previous reviewers about the book's lively style, broad coverage, and authoritative
tone. Heylin's argument is convincing that the sonnets published in 1609 by Thomas Thorpe were "booklegged" -- to the great
advantage of the world's future generations.
I enjoyed the discussion of pro-and-con points regarding the identity of the "Fair Youth," but I am not convinced that
the Fair Youth was William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. Although Heylin's portrait of the "other will" is entertaining, it isn't
clear that he was as "wild" as Heylin assumes, or that this would have been a factor in the personality revealed in the first
17 sonnets.
It's understandable that Heylin adopts unquestioningly the conventional assumptions that Shakespeare was a commoner
addressing an earl far above him in rank, but that does not disqualify Southampton, and the theory that these sonnets were a
work-for-hire is weak, since there is no evidence that the Countess of Pembroke -- a fine poet herself, and the sister of Philip
Sidney -- would have needed to pay for any poetic assistance from an unproven new talent.
It would have been to Heylin's advantage to consider some of the non-Stratfordian theories, such as that of Dorothy and Charlton Ogburn(authors of the De Vere biography "This Star of England") that Southampton was the natural son of Queen Elizabeth and her favorite court playwright, Edward De Vere. That would explain why it was so important for the Fair Youth to get married and reproduce. A comparison of pictures of Elizabeth and Southampton would have supported the assertion in Sonnet 3: "Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee / recalls the lovely April of her prime." That would also have provided an explanation for the suppression of the sonnets -- since King James the Ist of England would not have welcomed a book proclaiming the idea that Elizabeth had a son who might have had a claim to the throne. Perhaps also in 1609, Elizabeth had a grandson in the person of Henry Wriothesley's son, the Fourth Earl of Southampton.
Roland Emmerich is now making a movie taking that "Prince Tudor" position, which may have a considerable effect on the public perception of who the "Fair Youth" was, and what he meant to Shakespeare.
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Richard Chandler
3.0 out of 5 stars So Long as Men can Breathe
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
The book is an extended study concerning the printing history of the Sonnets; very little of the book, however, concerns itself with the sonnets themselves, or for that matter, Shakespeare's personal history.
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John Broglio
4.0 out of 5 stars An investigative journalist takes on Sonnet "scholarship" through the ages
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2012
Verified Purchase
I was mainly interested in Heylin's information about the original publication of the Sonnets. They were put out in the summer of 1609 and vanished: no second printing, no records of suppression or bankruptcy. As with the plays, it is a miracle that we have so many sonnets since their original small press run seems to have been an accident -- or a petty crime.

But Heylin's history of the Sonnets' publication and of the passionate debates about the possible "muses" is even more fascinating. Heylin has opinions about some of the issues in the sonnet debate and he is not shy about throwing cold water on the enthusiasms of people he disagrees with. His great contribution is to juxtapose sonnet scholarship throughout the centuries in a way that lets the reader conclude for herself that most scholars are much further out on a limb than they would have you believe.

I would recommend reading this book after you have read the Sonnets, of course, and at least one other article or book about the Sonnets (even the introduction to the Penguin or Oxford edition qualifies). If some writer has persuaded you that s/he knows who the Fair Youth or Dark Lady was, you are more than ready for this "meta-analysis". It will innoculate you against hand-waving and proof by intimidation at least in the Sonnet universe. Along the way Heylin gives you a tour of the theories that is thorough and fascinating.

As an appendix, the sonnets are printed six to a page. My greatest regret is that they were not printed as far as possible in the original spelling and punctuation. (Helen Vendler's deeply disappointing book on the Sonnets is still in my possession only because of the reproduction of the original spelling of every sonnet.)

The other fault with the book is that Heylin treats many of the themes so well in the first third of the book that the book begins to lag a little -- there appear to be no more revelations to be had, only details.

But I highly recommend this book for those who have thought about the miracle and mystery of the Sonnets and the plays. This book will innoculate you against false enthusiasms for one ingenious theory or another and against the mountain of unintential fiction about the Bard that has been put forth as serious scholarship. And Heylin's writing style is excellent: informal and informative but never dry. He is in a way a good investigative journalist in an era that sorely needs them.

There is no analysis of the rhetoric or detailed meaning of lines here, so look to other sources for that.
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