William Shakespeare: A Compact Documentary Life

S. Schoenbaum, Director of the Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies at the University of Maryland, is the author of Shakespeare's Lives and Shakespeare: The Globe and the World.

"A splendid book that not only presents all salient information lucidly but that also quietly advises students as to the fragility of biographical allegations--a vivid lesson as to why scholarship matters!"--Dennis R. Dean, University of Wisconsin-Parkside"Masterly...[Schoenbaum] manages to mention everything relevant, and the details are so organized that we never lose sight of the design of the whole....This book will remain the standard life for many years."--Kenneth Muir, Shakespeare Quarterly"Schoenbaum is the outstanding living authority on Shakespeare's biography....The 'Compact Life' is essential reading for anyone even moderately curious about the current state of Shakespeare biography."--O.B. Hardison, Jr., Georgetown University"[This book] is the abridged amplified version of the magnificent $50 edition. The Shakespearean authority strips away four centuries of myths, mistakes, and scholarly embellishments; the Bard emerges, pristine, more fascinating than ever."--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch"No student or reader of the plays can afford to neglect Schoenbaum either in the earlier luxurious book or in the graceful, sure-handed compact documentary life now available. The first is an investment, the new one proof that small too can be beautiful."--The New York Times Book Review