First published 20 years ago and now available in an updated and abridged edition, this book follows the quest throughout history for knowledge of Shakespeare the man. A wealth of material in collections scattered all over the world yields fresh, sometimes dramatic information about a host of controversial characters and incidents. Beginning with the Shakespeare of documentary record - poet of the London stage and property owner of Stratford - Professor Schoenbaum proceeds to the Shakespeare of legend - deer-poacher, ale-drinker, and valiant lover. Other Shakespeares follow: the playwright as protagonist of a host of biographies; the Shakespeare for whom imaginary histories with forged documents were invented; the Shakespeare who appears in plays and novels; and the Shakespeare who never was: anti-hero of a vast and eccentric literature crediting his works to other writers - Francis Bacon, the Earl of Stafford, or Christopher Marlowe. The author has revised and added new material throughout, including fresh illustrations.