Dowland recounts the story of one of the most important composers to emerge from early modern England. More than a biography, this book contextualizes the geographical, political, religious, cultural, and musical aspects of the life of John Dowland (1563-1626). The narrative follows the master lutenist on his journeys to France, through the German and Italian lands, and to the Danish and English courts of Christian IV and James I, as he developed a musical style that was at once personal and cosmopolitan.

This comprehensive bibliography lists some 500 source texts published in the British Isles or abroad from 1479 to 1660 and more than 2,000 works of secondary literature from 1900 to the present.