Download Shakespeare Library Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature eBook Stuart Kells

By Kelley Ramos on Saturday, June 1, 2019

Download Shakespeare Library Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature eBook Stuart Kells





Product details

  • File Size 1425 KB
  • Print Length 336 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN 1640091831
  • Publisher Counterpoint (April 2, 2019)
  • Publication Date April 2, 2019
  • Language English
  • ASIN B07FFWFPZS




Shakespeare Library Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature eBook Stuart Kells Reviews


  • If you are looking for a book that sums up all the theories about the identity of Shakespeare then this book is one. The coverage includes theories from 2018 so it is very inclusive. If you like rare books and the frailties of human beings to use anything of value to con money from their fellow man, this is a book that proves that you can't trust anyone. I wish I could have finished it but in a world with so many books to read, I decided to close it and move on.
  • What inspired Shakespeare? What books did he own, and how did they contribute to his legacy? Stuart Kells explores the history of the ongoing (and often frustrating) search for Shakespeare's library. Since the Bard's death, there have been many attempts to piece together the collection of works that Shakespeare used as sources for his plays. The book takes a long look at the history of this search, the personalities involved, and the sometimes shady world of book collecting and forgery.

    What emerges is a plausible picture of Shakespeare as a "bookman," less of a natural genius author, but much more than the "imposter from Stratford" suggested by proponents of others. The body of work, from the early quartos to the First Folio to the modern editions of today, can be viewed as a collaboration between Shakespeare, his sources, and every editor of the last four centuries.

    Along the way, the reader is treated to tales of researchers such as Edmund Malone, outright frauds such as William-Henry Ireland, and eclectic bibliophiles such as Thomas Frognall Dibdin. Kells tackles all this material with accessible and often witty style. Well worth the read for Shakespeare enthusiasts.
  • A great addition to my Shakespeare shelf! Join the search for the Bard's missing library and meet con artists, bibliophiles, Stratfordians and Anti-Stratfordians along the way. A fun & informative read. Recommend!
  • The Shakespeare industry is scraping the bottom of a very dank barrel with this rambling and misleading book. It purports to recount the search for the library William kept in his Stratford mansion, but since no sign that any such library ever existed, it turns around and "discovers William's library" in the known sources of the plays. It's a bait and switch, larded with irrelevant anecdotes, pointless lists, spurious value judgements, and many pages of other fillers. Caveat emptor.