HOGARTH A Life and a World

This was a massive undertaking for reader Donada Peters, if the maths are correct, twenty eight plus hours of eighteenth-century London. The biography is written in a gossipy, cozy tone, which is hard to sustain for three centuries. Peters is nonetheless unflagging in her upbeat enthusiasm for the intricacies of English society and its artistic foibles. Anyone conversant with Hogarth's circle, which included Swift, Pope, Fielding, and the actor Garrick, will enjoy the friendships the biography meticulously discloses. When listening, it might be advisable to have a monograph of Hogarth's work at hand because there are long descriptions of prints and paintings. B.H.B. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/ JAN 02]