Product Description

First published in 1941, No Bed for Bacon is a comic classic. Out of print since 1985, but much-discussed in the press following the release of the Oscar-showered film Shakespeare in Love, the novel fizzes with wit, warmth and the occasional custard pie. It is a festive celebration of 'The Great Bard' par excellence. Five o'clock and all's well in Merrie England. But not for long. Good Queen Bess is stirring in her four-poster and is feeling neither happy nor glorious. Down at the Globe, Will Shakespeare is chewing the end of his quill: something's amiss with Love's Labours Wunne. And Walter Raleigh, boiling his new potato in the depths of the regal kitchens, is getting very hot under the collar of his latest cloak - will his spud achieve the perfect fluffiness for The Royal Tasting? Heads are sure to roll before the day is out. No Bed for Bacon is a trivial pursuit through Elizabethan England - a book which will delight all scholars of Shakespeare, history and gleeful frivolity alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #278418 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Back Cover
First published in 1941, No Bed for Bacon is a comic classic. Out of print since 1985, but much-discussed in the press following the release of the Oscar-showered film Shakespeare in Love, the novel fizzes with wit, warmth and the occasional custard pie. It is a festive celebration of 'The Great Bard' par excellence.

Five o'clock and all's well in Merrie England. But not for long. Good Queen Bess is stirring in her four-poster and is feeling neither happy nor glorious. Down at the Globe, Will Shakespeare is chewing the end of his quill: something's amiss with Love's Labours Wunne. And Walter Raleigh, boiling his new potato in the depths of the regal kitchens, is getting very hot under the collar of his latest cloak - will his spud achieve the perfect fluffiness for The Royal Tasting? Heads are sure to roll before the day is out.

A beautifully written, uproarious comedy, No Bed for Bacon is a trivial pursuit through Elizabethan England - a book which will delight all scholars of Shakespeare, history and gleeful frivolity alike.

Customer Reviews

Hilarious journey through Elizabethan England
This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you're looking for serious historical fiction, you won't enjoy it; the authors take whatever aspects of Elizabeth I's reign appeal to them, and mix them to make a very funny account of one girl's attempt to become "the greatest girl-boy player in the world". But if you're looking for historical humour, it should suit you down to the ground. And the more you know about that period, the funnier the book is. This book pre-dates Shakespeare in Love by some years, so don't expect to find that story (though either some elements of the film were lifted from the book, or it's a massive coincidence). That is a romance; this is a comedy. I also wish that someone would reprint Brahms and Simon's other books, particularly Don't Mr Disraeli! - similar style to this one but about the Victorian age.

It's alright - it's Shakespeare
So pleased this will be back in print. Read a borrowed copy years ago and always wanted my own. Parts of the recent film "Shakespeare in Love" were either lifted from it or an homage, depending on your level of charity.

Shakespeare spends his time practicising his signature (and varying its spelling) and falling in love with a girl pretending to boy pretending to be a girl. Bacon is trying to get a Gloriana bed (a bed that Elizabeth I has slept in).

Like all Brahms & Simon books I've read, this is silly, educated fun. Any publishers out there want to re-print them?...

Great, memorable book
Slightly spoilt by the inferior 'Shakespeare in Love', I read this donkey's years ago and have never forgotten it. Understated comedy.