Victor Kiernan (1913-2009) ranks among Britain's most distinguished historians. Over the course of his life he authored such works as The Lords of Human Kind, America: From White Settlement to World Hegemony, Shakespeare: Poet and Citizen, and numerous others, as well as translating two volumes of Urdu poetry.
One can scarcely fail to be impressed by the width of Kiernan’s knowledge. This is a very entertaining and thought-provoking volume … it continues to be an excellent introduction to the duel.' * EuropeNow * Stuffed with excellent anecdotes. * New York Review of Books * V. G. Kiernan’s great study. * The New Yorker *