"An Ideal Husband" and "A Woman of No Importance" are two of Oscar Wilde's best plays. Both plays take place in the 1890's but their characters and commentaries about society are timeless. Extremely well-written, the characters seem to come alive as you read, as though you're actually seeing the play performed in front of you. These plays are comedies that will leaving you laughing for days, yet they are also filled with drama and will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Undoubtedly, the most amazing thing about the many Whitman bio's (and there's certainly no shortage of them), is their denial of his homosexuality. This is why Schmmidgall's work stands head and shoulders above them all (including Jerome Loving's seemingly exhaustive bio that doesn't present Whitman as being gay). The trouble with Loving and the rest who would deny Whitman's sexuality is that they are either terribly homophobic, or that they never read any of Whitman's poetry. The only reason I gave the book a three star rating, is because I don't feel it's a good first-Whitman-book to read for the uninitiated. Rather, I would start with his actual poetry, maybe read a popular bio, and then end up with Schmidgall's "Gay Life".

this is a great book to add to the growing collection of whitman biographies. don't make this the only one you read, however. that said, it does an amazing and passionate job that i think whitman would appreciate.