A review by librarianonparade
Shakespeare, the Evidence: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Man and His Work by Ian Wilson

5.0

This is one of the best biographies of Shakespeare I've read. It isn't a literary study of his plays and poetry, and it doesn't pretend to be. It is far more of an exploration into what evidence concerning Shakespeare exists and what can be surmised from the little tidbits of information we have - was he Catholic? Who was the 'lovely boy' of his sonnets? Who was the Dark Lady? What was his relationship with his wife really like?

Unfortunately, as with so much about Shakespeare, a lot of it guesswork and surmising, and you rarely get a real feel for the man himself, but that's a peril of all Shakespeare biographies. I've read this twice now, and that's rare for a biography with me, and a mark of how good it is.