John Gay A Profession of Friendship Author:David Nokes This major biography is the first full-length life of John Gay (1685-1732) for over fifty years. David Nokes's detailed and extensive research has unearthed several new discoveries, including hitherto unpublished letters, and possible attributions. Presenting Gay as a complex character, torn between the hopes of court preferment and the assertio... more »n of literary independence, this book is at once a lively and readable biography for the non-specialist, as well as a comprehensive and scholarly study.« less