A brilliant piece of historical investigative journalism, Shakespeare is a fresh telling of the playwright's life based on a wide range of newly discovered sources, such as police and torture records. Rather than approaching Shakespeare as an isolated genius, Wood argues that he was very much a product of his place and time--a period of upheaval that straddled the medieval and modern worlds. It was a time of great tensions, marked by murderous plots and purges of the Elizabethan police state, from the Somerville Plot and the Essex rebellion to the Gunpowder Plot, which can now be shown to have touched Shakespeare and his family directly. If we wonder why Shakespeare was so obsessed with violence, and especially the violence of the state, there is an answer: This was Shakespeare's world.Furthermore, Wood reveals new and surprising evidence about: Shakespeare's Catholic faith, his work, and his attitudes on sex and on race. In doing so he reinstates the image of Shakespeare as a thinking artist, his work based firmly in the religion, politics, culture and class antagonisms of his day. Shakespeare plunges us headlong into the turbulent life and times of William Shakespeare. Presented in a beautifully designed package, with over 100 four-color and black-and-white illustrations, the result is a more convincing and complete portrait of the artist than was previously thought possible. With Shakespeare Michael Wood has provided a wide-ranging summary of contemporary historical research regarding the most celebrated author in the English language. Beginning with an analysis of the roiling religious and political conflicts in Shakespeare’s boyhood England, Wood observes that, if "great writers are made by their times, then to be born in 1564 was to be born in very interesting times indeed." For Wood, the tensions of the times generated the modern era and formed Shakespeare, one of the first modern men. In addition to the investigation of the political context for Shakespeare’s work, Wood also explores Shakespeare’s erotic life and the genesis of his theater career. Readers learn early on that Shakespeare’s marriage to Anne Hathaway was likely a "shotgun wedding" due to her impending pregnancy. From there, Wood speculates about the "lost years" of Shakespeare’s life: the ten year period for which virtually no documentary evidence is extant and, unfortunately, the period that marked Shakespeare’s departure from Avon and entry into London theatrical circles. Later, in the requisite investigation of the identity of the "Dark Lady" of the Sonnets, Wood revitalizes a theory dismissed by some scholars: that the woman was none other than Emilia Lanier, mistress of Shakespeare’s patron. A companion to the PBS documentary series, the book is not comprehensive of Shakespeare studies--probably no book could be. Beyond some early investigations of Shakespeare’s Midlands dialect and some short examinations of the plays and poems, Wood provides far less close reading of the poetry and the plays than one would expect. But the book does provide a broad historical understanding of Shakespeare’s world and a flavor for his daily life. The volume is also complemented by lavish illustrations, detailed maps, and period artwork. --Patrick O’Kelley Omnivorous filmmaker, author, and historian Wood devours yet another monumental subject in this illustrated biography of William Shakespeare. One might expect a cursory run-through of familiar schoolbook legends, but not so--Wood has crafted a book of substance and originality. Combining a wealth of scholarship and a bit of his own sleuthing, Wood presents a portrait of Shakespeare as very much a child of Stratford, a poet for whom the people of the village and countryside of his youth were always a part of his conscious, creative life. We are also given a convincing portrait of the artist's struggles in the unpredictable world of the Elizabethan theater. Wood does not shy away from amateur speculation, either--as when he offers up his own candidate for Shakespeare's mysterious "Dark Lady." A highly readable, informative, and artfully illustrated volume for bardolaters and common readers alike. Trygve Thoreson Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Michael Wood is an acclaimed author and TV presenter. A broadcaster and film-maker of extraordinary range, Wood has over eighty documentary films to his name, including In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great , In Search of the Trojan War , and In Search of Shakespeare . Educated at Oxford, Wood is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.