About this item
From acclaimed author and ardent bibliophile Stuart Kells comes an exploration of the quest to find the personal library of the world's greatest writer Millions of words of scholarship have been expended on the world's most famous author and his work. And yet a critical part of the puzzle, Shakespeare's library, is a mystery. For four centuries people have searched for it: in mansions, palaces and libraries; in riverbeds, sheep pens and partridge coops; and in the corridors of the mind. Yet no trace of the Bard's manuscripts, books or letters has ever been found. The search for Shakespeare's library is much more than a treasure hunt. Knowing what the Bard read informs our reading of his work, and it offers insight into the mythos of Shakespeare and the debate around authorship. The library's fate has profound implications for literature, for national and cultural identity, and for the global Shakespeare industry. It bears on fundamental principles of art, identity, history, meaning and truth. Unfolding the search like the mystery story that it is, acclaimed author Stuart Kells follows the trail of the hunters, taking us through different conceptions of the library and of the man himself. Entertaining and enlightening, Shakespeare's Library is a captivating exploration of one of literature's most enduring enigmas.
About the Author
Stuart Kells is an award-winning writer whose books have been published around the world including in the US, China, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Romania and in his native Australia. His book 'The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders' was shortlisted for the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award (non-fiction) and the New South Wales Premier's General History Prize, and longlisted for the Waverley Library Award. (See his Paris Review article, 'The Strange Magic of Libraries', and his Guardian article, 'Blood, Bookworms, Bosoms and Bottoms: The Secret Life of Libraries'.) He has won the Ashurst Business Literature Prize twice (in 2016 and 2019) . His shorter writings have appeared in a wide range of journals, magazines and newspapers, including the Smithsonian Magazine, Daily Beast, LitHub, the London Times and National Geographic Traveler.His latest book is 'Shakespeare's Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature'. Publisher's Weekly called it 'a fascinating examination of a persistent literary mystery', and Anna Rogers wrote in 'Noted': 'Kells's style is easy yet erudite, and often very funny...He admits cheerfully to his own obsessions, but remains blessedly sensible, articulate and unafraid of a spot of iconoclasm...In his view, Shakespeare's probable working method was one of "gradualism and collectivism". He used whatever material was available to pen topical, popular plays that were ideal for performance. But, before they were printed, they needed refining - editing - by others, both in his lifetime and after his death. Such a view may rattle the reverent, but there is thought and conviction behind Kells' suggestions.'
