Contested Will : : who Wrote Shakespeare?

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Shakespeare -- Bacon -- Oxford -- Shakespeare.
Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro explains when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote his plays.

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A Nice Review of the Shakespeare Authorship Issue submitted by mhastings on July 9, 2013, 11:05am James Shapiro's Contested Will is a good overview of the Shakespeare authorship question and the various theories proposed by those who do not believe that William Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon wrote the works commonly attributed to him. While Shapiro sides with Shakespeare camp and provides a good argument for Shakespeare and reasonable arguments against Bacon, Oxford, and others, the main thrust of the book is not the validity of these arguments, but a look at why the question started in the first place and why readers over the years have been fascinated with the possibility of an alternate author. The book is scholarly, but not dry, and moves at a good pace. An interest in theater and history is a must for the reader, but with an interest in the psychology of why beliefs form, this book while be even more enjoyable.