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Media reviews
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Much Ado About Something A
Documentary Film by Mike Rubbo (April 2002).
"Diana Price has written one of the best books making the case against
Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography.. It was an inspiration in
the final stages of making the film."
Greensboro News & Record (by Trudy Atkins, 22 July 2001): "In this unique biography,
Diana Price has researched every shred of evidence about the Stratford-born Shakspere,
analyzing and interpreting literary allusions as well. What makes her biography
unique is her examination of the same evidence for other writers of the Elizabethan and
Jacobean periods. Her research seems to point to an overwhelming conclusion: that someone
else wrote the works attributed to Shakespeare."
Choice (by D. Traister, May 2001):
"A deeply uninteresting exploration of a question that, for most scholars, is even
more deeply unnecessary. Collections with a focus on Shakespeare and a fetishistic
desire for "completeness" will acquire the book. So too might collections that
specialize in extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds."
Academia: an
Online Magazine and Resource for Academic Librarians (by
Rob Norton, Jan. 2001, Vol. 1, No. 6), Profilers'
Pick:
"Price argues compellingly that there is little evidence
from life that the Stratfordian was the playwright William
Shakespeare and that most of what we do know of Shakspere would
make it impossible that he could have written plays and poetry
clearly aristocratic in context, vocabulary, and sensibility.
This book would be a good first stop for those seeking some
introduction into this controversy and allow them to proceed
intelligently to books written by those who have strong opinions
as to the real identity of the Bard."
Book News, Inc. (Portland, OR;
booknews.com): "Price jumps into the eternal controversy
with the unusual position of having no candidate to promote.
Based on a systematic comparative analysis with other literary
biographies, known biographical facts, and contemporary
commentary, she concludes that William Shakespeare was the pen
name of some anonymous aristocrat." This
review is accessible on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com;
enter in the author's name or title to access the page.
Library Journal (15 November 2000): "Gives the Shakespeare doubters
some very good ammunition. . . . Academic libraries should buy
this book for the debate it will spark and the in-depth detective
work it provides. Public libraries can safely pass." This
review is accessible on-line at
www.barnesandnoble.com;
enter in the author's name or title to access the page.
Northern Ohio Live magazine (by Michael L. Hays,
April 2001): "The best unorthodox biography of Shakespeare in years. Well-researched and challenging . . . Price is the first to compare Shakespeare to a number of his
contemporaries with respect to personal literary evidence. Her conclusion:
He is unique in lacking any." (For reference to Michael L. Hays's article on the manuscript of Sir Thomas More, click on Michael L. Hays.)
The Elizabethan Review
(by Warren Hope, 11/20/00): "Her book [is] unlike any book dealing
with the Shakespeare authorship question that has appeared in
years. ... [It] tackles the question of who William Shakspere of
Stratford actually was - a subject that has been too frequently
ignored by Stratfordians and anti-Stratfordians alike. . . .
Price works that field admirably and the harvest is abundant."
For the full review, click on Hope.
The Plain Dealer
(Cleveland, OH, by Marianne Evett, 12/18/00): "Faulty
logic and lack of knowledge of the broader social and theatrical
milieu of the time undermine her argument. She uses a double
standard for evidence." For the author's response,
click on PlainDealerReview.
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Peer reviews & citations
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University of Miami Law Review (Jan. 2003). "Could Shakespeare Think Like A Lawyer?: How Inheritance
Law Issues in Hamlet May Shed Light on the Authorship Question (by Thomas Regnier). "Diana Price's recent Shakespeare's
Unorthodox Biography ... meticulously demolishes the Stratfordian presumption."
Radio National Perspective,
Australian
Broadcasting Corporation, (by Prof. Patrick
Buckridge, 25 March 2002). "At the core of Price's book is a demonstration of just how
exceptional Shakespeare's case
really is in comparison with his contemporaries in the theatre. ... Shakespeare's Unorthodox
Biography was published by Greenwood Press, a respected American publisher, in their academic series, "Contributions
in Drama and Theatre Studies." This in itself is a remarkable breakthrough for a viewpoint that has hitherto been strictly quarantined to that part of the book market where wacky theories about the secrets of the Pyramids or the secret sex life of Billy the Kid are canvassed freely and with no impact at all on serious scholarship.
It remains to be seen whether the book gets the serious attention it deserves."
Studies in English Literature (by William B. Worthen, 2002): Price "follows the typical trajectory of anti-Stratfordian writing — [and] unfurls the usual wash of 'evidence'."
Shakespeare Bulletin (by Prof. Daniel L. Wright, winter 2002).
"Price's text revisits the
terrain of the Shakespeare authorship problem and sweeps away the detritus of conjecture.
In doing so, she clarifies our understanding of why some of the problems
related to Shakespeare are so vexing, contententious, and fascinating."
History Today (August 2001). The cover story, "Who Wrote
Shakespeare?" by Prof. William Rubinstein, examines the authorship
controversy and suggests five books, including
Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography for further reading.
Prof. Alan Nelson at
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~ahnelson/
(3/01): "Diana Price knows how to put a
sentence together, but she does not know how to put an argument
together without engaging in special pleading: that is, taking
evidence that has an apparent signification, and arguing with all
her might that it does not fit the special case of William
Shakespeare for this or that special - and wholly arbitrary -
reason." For the author's response, click on Nelson.
Prof. Alan Nelson replied to my rebuttal on his website at
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~ahnelson/ : "Leonard Digges composed a handwritten inscription directly concerning William Shakespeare and directly touching on literary matters. ... So close was Digges himself to Shakespeare that he called him not "Shakespeare," "William Shakespeare," or "Mr. Shakespeare," but - with singular affection and using his nick-name - "our Will Shakespeare". ... "our" is simply the plural of "my", entirely appropriate in a literary discussion among three close friends, Will Baker, James Mabbe, and Leonard Digges." For the author's response, click on
Nelson reply.
David Kathman, co-author with Terry Ross of The Shakespeare Authorship Web Site, contributed comments to "Shaksper," the on-line
orthodox discussion group, moderated by Prof. Hardy Cook: "Price's book presents a superficial appearance of scholarship which may
fool those not trained in the field, but in many ways this makes it more
dangerous than the more obviously wacko anti-Stratfordian tomes which
litter bookstore shelves." Although Mr. Kathman
explained that "Terry Ross and I have both been far too busy with more important matters
to write up a comprehensive response to Price (doing exciting real
scholarship is somehow much more fulfilling than refuting
pseudo-scholarship)," he endorsed a lengthy review by Tom Veal (a much expanded version
of his review on Amazon.com). Kathman directed "Shaksper"
subscribers to Veal's review, "which points
out just some of its multitudinous faults." Many of Veal's
criticisms are already addressed elsewhere on this website.
For additional material on his criticism concerning the Sir
Thomas More manuscript, click on More.
One of Veal's
major criticisms is that I cite the Tudor "stigma of
print" to explain why an arisotcratic playwright would
need to conceal his identity. Veal cites The Shakespeare
Authorship Page, which contends that the "stigma of
print" is a myth. For the author's response, click on
Stigma of Print.
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Reader reviews
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A reader (Craig T. Niedzielski from Hermosa, Bataan, Philippines) on
www.amazon.com
(1/21/02): "For readers without preconceptions, Ms. Price provides a scrupulously researched biography which does not, for once, depend upon page after page of "surely," "most probably," and "almost certainly." Reading a typical, orthodox biography is like chomping down on a fluff of cotton candy: t'ain't much there. This, by contrast, is USDA Select Beef, with something to bite into and chew over on every page. Do not let the premium price deter you. You get what you pay for, in this case a substantial work of scholarship.
For the still-hesitant prospective buyer, I strongly urge you to drop by Ms. Price's web site. There you will find reviews and responses, errata and addenda, and most importantly get a glimpse of the author's ability to defend her work. Just type in the title slash "author's home page" and let your browser do the rest.
In sum, a very well-researched, very readable book that gets Shakespearean scholarship off to a great start for the new millennium. My highest endorsement."
A reader (from Los Angeles, CA) on
www.amazon.com
(1/9/01): "Essential for those who wish to come to
grips with the Shakespearean authorship problem, first as an
exposition of the anti-Stratfordian case, and second as a
reference work of the first order.... Price offers the most
comprehensive biographical analysis to date....There is a fair
amount of strictly new evidence. Second, much of the evidence
compiled will be new to readers of orthodox biographies, where it
is either missing or distorted. Third, reexamination of "old"
evidence reveals overlooked matter. Fourth, the treatment of the
subject by prior scholarship is itself revealing evidence. Very
few persons will come away from a reading of Price's book without
having learned much of its subject."
A reader (Edward Thomas Veal) on
www.amazon.com (11/29/00 and 1/18/01): This
"case against the Stratford man ... amounts to
nothing more substantial than bile and overheated air."
Further, in Part 2, "time and time again, Miss Price,
instead of seeking to refute inconvenient analyses, pretends that
they don't exist. For the author's response, click on AmazonReview.
For additional material on his criticism concerning the Sir
Thomas More manuscript, click on More.
Edward Thomas Veal has posted a lengthy review on his website.
Many of his criticsms are already addressed in responses elsewhere
on this website. For a response to his criticism concerning the "stigma of print,"
click on
Stigma of Print.
A reader (TMT from Wheeling, WV) on
www.amazon.com
(2/03/01): "I recommend you read it to see what the
fuss is all about."
A reader (JT from Detroit, MI) on
www.amazon.com
(1/15/01): "A fine mystery, and some fine sleuthing
as well."
A reader (from Santa Fe, NM) on
www.amazon.com
(1/13/01): "Readers who are passionately attached
to the traditional attribution will get nothing from this book
and will rail against it, and this book is not meant for them. It
is meant for open-minded readers who are willing to let go of
previous assumptions and received wisdom, and to look at old
evidence in a new light. I count myself among these.... This book
is the best presentation I've yet seen as to WHY it does not add
up."
A reader (Ron Song Destro) on
www.amazon.com
(2/07/01): "Filled with new information and an
accurate analysis of the flaws found in traditional Shakespearean
scholarship. I recommend it heartily."
A reader (Spotsmom) on
www.amazon.com (11/11/00): "A learned
and readable exposition of the Shakespeare Authorship Controversy."
A reader (JMT) on www.barnesandnoble.com
(11/21/00): An "easy-to-read and
well presented explanation of the role of William Shaksper in the
world of Elizabethan letters."
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Newsletter reviews
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The De Vere Society newsletter (by
Arthur Challinor, January 2001): "One of the most impressive
factors about this book is that it does not overreach. Knowing
that one will never overturn orthodox scholarship by argument
which is intellectually shoddy or suspect, she will not be led by
the heart. ... The challenge is there and it is formidable. The
breadth of the author's research is impressive."
Shakespeare Oxford Society
newsletter (by Richard F. Whalen, fall 2000): "Price
declines to discuss who might be the true author of Shakespeare's
works. ... If Will Shakspere was not the author, then who was
this aristocrat she keeps mentioning?"
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