"Sir John Harington (1560-1612) has long been recognized as one of the most colourful and engaging figures at the English Renaissance court. Godson of Queen Elizabeth, translator of Ariosto, and inventor of the water-closet, he was also a lively writer in a wide variety of modes, and an acute commentator on his times. This study opens a new perspective on Harington's literary production by attending to the fact that almost all of his writings were designed as gifts. Combining detailed readings and first-hand historical research, Jason Scott-Warren reconstructs the complex, often devious agenda which Harington wrote into his books as he customized them for specific individuals and occasions. Offering a wealth of insights into self-fashioning and the pursuit of patronage, this study makes a persuasive case for the significance of material culture to textual interpretation. It will be of in