Thomas More

Well known as the man for all seasons, Thomas More is also a man for all purposes. Celebrated variously as holy martyr, Marxist hero, and moral exemplar during Clinton's impeachment hearings, Thomas More remains an enigmatic figure. This book by one of the leading historians of Tudor England seeks to separate the historical More from the many myths about him. It uncovers the substructure of evidence on which his biography is based and shows with clarity how the differing portrayals of More have come about, as well as where the line lies between the sustainable and the merely conjectural. It is a daring book that goes to the heart of the debate about More, shattering many of the illusions about this idealized figure.