“Very distinguished...captivating...Shapiro succeeds where others have fallen short.” — William E. Cain, Boston Globe

“Only an extraordinary scholar could illuminate Shakespeare’s singular genius by demonstrating how much his work owes to Elizabethan cultureandsociety.” — Alexandra Alter, Chicago Tribune

“James Shapiro throws an unusually searching light across Shakespeare’s creative genius and makes him come truly alive.” — The Economist

“Superb—the product of marathon scholarship, inspired insight, narrative flair, astute surmise and searching intelligence.” — Peter Kemp, Sunday Times (London)

“an unforgettable illumination of a crucial moment in the life of our greatest writer.” — Robert McCrum, The Observer

“[This] is one of the few genuinely original biographies of Shakespeare.” — Jonathan Bate, Sunday Telegraph

“a brilliantly readable and revealing narrative.” — Nicholas Hytner, The Guardian

“For Irish readers...by far the best account yet written of the relationship between this island and Shakespeare’s work.” — Fintan O'Toole, Irish Times

“If Will in the World is essentially an extremely good historical novel, [YLOWS] is history itself” — Jeremy Treglown, Financial Times

“Excellent book....superbly illuminating....Shapiro deserves whoops of applause.” — Sam Leith, The Spectator

“Shapiro gives us a Shakespeare who chronicles his age, in a biographical form that speaks clearly to our own.” — Francis Wilson, Saturday Telegraph

“Quite brilliant….It gives a whole large picture of his life, times, and achievement. Wonderful.” — Andrew Motion, Poet Laureate (England)

“As a yarn, this is up there with The Da Vinci Code but in 1599 it’s all true!” — Sir Ian McKellen

“Mr. Shapiro has given us by his encyclopedic scholarship and lucid narrative a hitherto unknown Shakespeare.” — Jacques Barzun, author of From Dawn to Decadence

“[P]assionately written study, the product of deep scholarship and acute critical thought... fascinating.” — Stanley Wells, Editor of The Oxford Shakespeare

“a stunning exhibition of scholarly intelligence by an academic deeply committed to arriving at the truth.” — Christopher Rush, Sunday Herald, Halifax

“deliciously vivid....Shapiro weaves a tantalising narrative.” — David Lister, The Independent

“Shapiro’s scrupulous scholarship has given us a Shakespeare both for his time and our own.” — David Scott Kastan, General Editor, The Arden Shakespeare

“An intriguing addition to Shakespeare studies...open-minded readers will be stimulated and enriched by Shapiro’s contextual approach.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This book is a masterpiece, simply a masterpiece.” — Booklist (starred review)