Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook.

by G.E. Bentley Jr.

Bentley presents the life and working methods of William Shakespeare with the strictest fidelity to the surviving documentation. By presenting the hundred or more surviving Shakespearean documents in the context of similar records, against the background of Elizabethan customs and prejudices, and in relation to one another, he sets up an essential outline of Shakespeare's life.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you don't need a book with a lot of conjecture and suggestions from the author of what an individual's life might have looked like. Sometimes you just need the facts. Shakespeare is an undoubtedly colorful character in history, because mostly because he has been constantly painted with the brushes of others. This book is incredibly useful because it wipes all that away and gives you everything that we know for sure about Shakespeare from documents and accounts from reputable (or somewhat reputable) sources. Bentley succeeds admirably in this task.

(Another book with a weird story behind it; I bought this while on a date that ultimately didn't work out because I was interested in Shakespeare after having a little dalliance with a Shakespearean actor previously. But that's neither here or there.)