Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

What is reliabley known about William Shakespeare can be written on the back of an envelope.

The front cover cities James Shapiro's opinion of the book as 'vivid, unsentimental, witty, and fast-paced.' I agree that this is a fair assessment of the book.

Essentially Mr. Bryson discusses the lack of good historical evidence (mostly documental) and so the subsequent lack of possibility of arriving at sound inferences as to who William Shakespeare really who and how he lived. Much is known about the writer, not so the person.

Bryson's writing style is both palpable and engaging. He manages to hold the reader's attention very well. Of the four characteristics described by Shapiro, the most salient is unsentimental.

Hard-headed, yet always engaging and often amusing. I would say this book makes for a good introduction to the subject of Shakespeare.