AT THE SIGN OF THE GLOBE

Moving from the Middle Ages to the London of Shakespeare's time, the author has once again demonstrated her ability to capture the panorama of the period (see Brother to Galahad, 1963). Kit Martyn's the hero who has left his uncle's tanyard with hopes of learning the art of leather working. Unsuccessful at Stratford he goes on to London, where he finds that the clannish guild system makes it apparently impossible to join the trade. Odd jobs keep him employed, first at The Mermaid and then in the Globe theater. Shakespeare, Burbage, et. al., wander around the vicinity, but the stage fever never catches up with Kit who seems rather a dull sort even when he's rescuing a manuscript from being stolen, and the celebrities are rather pallid too. Teachers may like this book for the descriptions of the Globe and of life in Renaissance London, but Master Skylark still deserves top billing.