Robert Browning's beginning Ring and Book (3)
I believe the answer is:
bob
'robert' is the definition.
(short for Robert)
'browning's beginning ring and book' is the wordplay.
'beginning' indicates taking the first letters.
'ring' becomes 'O' (O is the shape of a ring).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'book' becomes 'b' (abbreviation for book).
The first letter of 'brownings' is 'b'.
'b'+'o'+'b'='BOB'
(Other definitions for bob that I've seen before include "Curtsy - builder" , "short hair" , "Move up and down like Robert" , "Pre-decimal coin" , "money once" .)