Andy Johnson: Sir John Oldcastle of Herefordshire: Traitor, Martyr or the real Falstaff? Hereford: Logaston Press, 2020.

Andy Johnson’s Sir John Oldcastle of Herefordshire: Traitor, Martyr or the real Falstaff? is a remarkable study of the life and legacy of Sir John Oldcastle, featuring copious illustrations and synthesizing a wide range of source materials. Johnson’s research on Oldcastle spans a period (sporadically, as he informs us) of around forty years. Despite being an incredibly comprehensive and detailed study, Johnson puts us readers first throughout as the narrative unfolds. He sets about answering exactly who Oldcastle was; why Shakespeare chose him as Prince Hal’s companion in his Henry IV plays; why Shakespeare had to change the name of his dramatic personage from Oldcastle to Falstaff; and what resemblances exist between the real Oldcastle and the persona invented by Shakespeare.