So too might collections that specialize in extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds. This book would be a good first stop for those seeking some introduction into this controversy and allow them to proceed intelligently to books written by those who have strong opinions as to the real identity of the Bard. Based on a systematic comparative analysis with other literary biographies, known biographical facts, and contemporary commentary, she concludes that William Shakespeare was the pen name of some anonymous aristocrat. Academic libraries should buy this book for the debate it will spark and the in-depth detective work it provides.
Public libraries can safely pass.
Well-researched and challenging . . . Price is the first to compare Shakespeare to a number of his contemporaries with respect to personal literary evidence. Price works that field admirably and the harvest is abundant. She uses a double standard for evidence. For the author's response, click on PlainDealerReview .