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77th out of 144 books
—
24 voters
Players: The Mysterious Identity of William Shakespeare
For centuries scholars have debated the true identity of the author of the magnificent body of poems and plays attributed to William Shakespeare. The majority of academics and other "Shakespeare authorities" have accepted the idea that the author was indeed one William Shakspere, the historical figure who hailed from Stratford-upon-Avon, acted on the London stage, and co-o...more
Hardcover
Published
2005
by ReganBooks
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I could not even finish this!
First off, Fields never adopts a position on the Shakespeare debate, which weakens his arguments for both sides. Also, most of his anti-Strat evidence depends on taking pro-Strat evidence and stating that the original authors only "perceived" Shakespeare to be the Stratford man. He strongly favors the anti-Strat argument.
Also, he mentions things, but frequently says that they will be discussed later. If that is the case, why not just want until further in the book t...more
First off, Fields never adopts a position on the Shakespeare debate, which weakens his arguments for both sides. Also, most of his anti-Strat evidence depends on taking pro-Strat evidence and stating that the original authors only "perceived" Shakespeare to be the Stratford man. He strongly favors the anti-Strat argument.
Also, he mentions things, but frequently says that they will be discussed later. If that is the case, why not just want until further in the book t...more
this book was written by a lawyer, and it is very obvious...
i can see this putting off readers because he really does hammer way at what is assumed...
so far i'm very much enjoying it...it's as if shakespeare's been put on trial for fraud and you're reading the pre-trial discovery of one of the lawyers...
i would have liked to see more references, he makes a lot of factual statements and paraphrases arguments without giving any sort of citation...this is a problem...
otherwise, it was very well arg...more
i can see this putting off readers because he really does hammer way at what is assumed...
so far i'm very much enjoying it...it's as if shakespeare's been put on trial for fraud and you're reading the pre-trial discovery of one of the lawyers...
i would have liked to see more references, he makes a lot of factual statements and paraphrases arguments without giving any sort of citation...this is a problem...
otherwise, it was very well arg...more
I appreciate the author's attempt to be objective, but it was a little hard to read pages of evidence, then have him dismiss it all with one sentence.
I'm lending it to a friend & I'm going to tell her to skip to the chapters about the potential authors. The stuff about the Stratford man goes on & on & on, and isn't very interesting. I kept thinking, "Maybe he was ill, that's why his signature on his will is illegible! Let's get back to Oxford!"
xoxo Oxford.
I'm lending it to a friend & I'm going to tell her to skip to the chapters about the potential authors. The stuff about the Stratford man goes on & on & on, and isn't very interesting. I kept thinking, "Maybe he was ill, that's why his signature on his will is illegible! Let's get back to Oxford!"
xoxo Oxford.
One of the worst of the Shakespearian authorship books. By page 8, I had found so many factual errors it was remarkable. There are far better researched and credible books than this one. Not even worth a glance.
Jan 17, 2012
Kaethe
marked it as stricken
I have little patience for the anti-Stratford position and the reviews here are bad.
A thorough review of the issues surrounding the identity of Shakespeare.
I have to give this book 5 stars.
I don' t agree with everything that the author has written but, he provides a good argument for his opinion
I did learn some interesting facts though. During the Elizabethian era the name "Shakespeare" had 82 different variations.
Also that Christopher Marlowe almost didn't graduate from Cambridge.
Reading this text also helped me bone up on some of my Elizabethian history.
The theories presented in this book will have deridders. But, we are given a unique perspecti...more
I don' t agree with everything that the author has written but, he provides a good argument for his opinion
I did learn some interesting facts though. During the Elizabethian era the name "Shakespeare" had 82 different variations.
Also that Christopher Marlowe almost didn't graduate from Cambridge.
Reading this text also helped me bone up on some of my Elizabethian history.
The theories presented in this book will have deridders. But, we are given a unique perspecti...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like my knowledge of many different areas grew immensly. It did feel a little long though.
Fields is known for being a "celebrity" lawyer in California. My expectations weren't high starting reading this book, however, I found it to be well-written and thoroughly researched.
Not always coherent book about whether "Stratford man" wrote plays or not.
careful, Bertram. Your biases are showing!
Apr 12, 2013
David Weiss
is currently reading it
Mar 13, 2013
Amy
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2013
Jenn M
marked it as nf-biography
Feb 05, 2013
Jessica Fitzpatrick
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Feb 04, 2013
Karlie Nyte
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Jan 17, 2013
Tim Welsh
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Jan 16, 2013
Daniel Penfold
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Dec 28, 2012
Adam Fullerton
marked it as to-read
Dec 28, 2012
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Nov 23, 2012
Raouf Bougandoura
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Nov 03, 2012
Ester
marked it as to-read
Nov 03, 2012
Connie Chun
marked it as to-read
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