The life and work of English literature's most influential playwright and poet is examined in depth in this engrossing biography.

The name William Shakespeare is synonymous with English literature.

But the dramatist himself is shrouded in mystery; what we know of his life and influences is partial and speculative.

Now, in this expansive biography, author Peter Ackroyd digs deep into Shakespeare's 16th century life and unearths a vast and intimate portrait of the bard entwined within his historical period.

Peter Ackroyd is a bestselling historian, critic, and author of both fiction and nonfiction.

He's written literary biographies on everyone from Charles Dickens to William Blake, and is the recipient of myriad awards for his biographical and historical non-fiction writing.

Drawing upon his wealth of knowledge of old England, Ackroyd recounts Shakespeare's vivid world: his early years, the life of the theater where he worked, and the singular oeuvre which irrevocably shaped the canon of English literature forever.