PRAISE FOR SHAKESPEARE’S BOOK

‘A lively picture of multiple operators scrambling to steal a march on the competition . . . Lavishly detailed’FT

‘This is Shakespearean scholarship at its best, brilliantly researched yet compulsively readable. It's a book for our times, enduringly fascinating and appealing to both enthusiasts and the general reader. Highly recommended!’ Alison Weir

'Meticulously researched and compellingly conveyed . . . manages to be edifying and entertaining in equal measure’ Wall Street Journal

‘Exquisite . . . extensive, impeccable research . . . Beautifully written and utterly compelling, this book comprises all the drama, intrigue and surprises of a Shakespeare play. A stunning achievement’ Tracy Borman

'[A] significant offering… his mission is admirable: to trace every major step in the collective enterprise, starting from the death of the leading Shakespearean actor Richard Burbage in 1619, which served as a melancholy spur… to collate the Bard's works for posterity… [T]he necessary drama is there…' Daily Telegraph

‘Laoutaris’s history of the interlinked careers behind the Folio scheme, brings that network to life . . . His resourceful sleuthing ties the Folio’s birth to the politics of its time’ Economist

'Like Shakespeare's plays, Laoutaris's book revolves around detailed interpersonal relationships. From his pages you will learn about the lives of Heminges and Condell… and many others… trestfy[ing] to the thoroughness of the author's research’ Washington Post

'A must read for anyone with even a slight passing fancy for Shakespeare . . . To say this is a book to be read and reread, and have a place on the library shelf, would be a major understatement’ Judith Reveal, New York Journal of Books

Laoutaris is the recipient of the Morley Medal in English and the Ker Memorial Prize in English. He has reviewed for many academic publishers and journals; has written for the Financial Times, Sunday Express, Times Higher Education Supplement, and BBC History Magazine, among others; and has provided historical and Shakespearean consultancy to the Royal Shakespeare Company and numerous film and documentary production companies.