Roger McGough; Robert Louis Stevenson

Both these hardback books are part of a biography series 'which tells the stories of famous people'. There are photographs, paintings, dates, anecdotes, memories and observations of the writer accompanied by a rather patronising narrator's voice which damps down most of the inspiring elements of the writer in question. In Roger McGough's case, it becomes an extremely good piece of publicity for his books. There is also not enough of the poetry and writing to give a flavour of the writer. If you are looking for a book of dates with some illustrations for a project, then these books are helpful - but overall too simplistic with not enough substance and magic.