Merriam Press Personal Chronicle Series. If you are expecting Shakespeare, you've picked the wrong book. Richard Francis Royal Sorell is just an average guy. One might say his life has been extraordinary. If someone told him his life story as theirs, he would think they were full of "it," up to their eyebrows, but he knows it happened, and it happened to him. He's lived on the edge of fame his whole life, never achieving it himself, but rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous in every step he took. He didn't search out these people and when they met he wasn't looking for an autograph or photograph, something transpired between them and that is what he has written about. You will find the people he writes about cut across all walks of life, from poets, to entertainers, scientists, artists, politicians and more. 9 photos and illustrations. Index.