A very readable discussion of the relationships between Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Jonson, and how the playwrights influenced and responded to each other. The writing is accessible and not dense, though it does take some effort to keep straight the Jonson Folio and the Shakespeare First Folio when he addresses them only by date after the first mention. The final chapter and the epilogue discuss ways in which Jonson shaped Shakespeare's reputation and how later scholars responded to the bard by creating a persona for him that was not only not consistent, but wasn't even truly Shakespeare. The persona Jonson shaped for himself in opposition to that of Shakespeare also determined the way scholars responded to the Jonson portfolio. Interesting and enlightening, though the small type makes it difficult at times. ( )