BEAUMARCHAIS

Very entertaining reading, this biography of one of the most picturesque figures in late 18th century France. A commoner, son of a poor watch maker, Beaumarchais in childhood determined to ""crash the gate"" of the court. And he succeeded. The means he used were clever, sometimes unscrupulous, often subtly indirect -- but he achieved his ambition, and was on intimate terms with the great and near great. An extraordinary man, he was courtier, commoner, business man, crook, dramatist, blackmailer -- a man of many affairs -- an adventurer on many planes. There is always demand for a biography giving a bit of court gossip, intimate pictures of glamorous figures. This should be easy to rent and easy to sell.