This 1905 English book is a study of Rabelais rather than a work by him, presenting his life, his times and his comic writing for readers of its day. It introduces the giants Gargantua and Pantagruel, the humanist ideas behind their adventures, and the religious and political climate that made his satire risky. It serves as a guide to a writer whose learning and bawdy humour can seem puzzling at first.