Shakespeare's Face

by Stephanie Nolen

Book Overview

A fascinating literary detective story charting the surprising, true history of a recently discovered painting of Shakespeare held by the same family for 400 years -- adding new drama to the Bard's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067697483X
• ISBN13: 9780676974836
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Knopf Canada
• Length: 365 Pages
• Weight: 1.62 lbs.

Customer Reviews

This Is Shakespeare!

This book makes an excellent argument for this being a true portrait of Shakespeare. I was convinced that this is Shakespeare. I do not understand why this image does not become the standard illustration in Shakespeare books and plays, and why Shakespeare scholars and enthusiast and actors have not embraced this image, which has more claim to authenticity than any other. The book is well researched and written with clear facts and thoughtful points.Shakespeare's Face

Fascinating

This book is fast-paced and reads like a detective novel, and is very entertainting, yet at the same time is educational. I have learned many interesting facts about life in the Elizabethan times, the strange history of Shakespeare's portraiture and about Shakespeare himself - in particular, how little is known about him. However, enough is known to tear down the whole Oxfordian authorship hysteria. One of the contributors offers a fascinating essay that destroys the Oxfordian myth with clear, indisputable facts. The same is true of the portrait - after reading this book, no one with a sound mind will believe that it is of Shakespeare, despite the author's naive attempts at exploiting the layman's gullibility (how typical of mass-media journalism) - there is enough scientific and historical evidence presented in the book to make it obvious that this is seriously unlikely to be the case. Ironically, the more I read, the less I believed in the possibility. The book undermines the author's intent to generate excitement in the portrait, which I found interesting and even amusing. Definitely a keeper.

Who cares what the experts think. I say it's him!

I'm not an Elizabethan scholar, but I've been reading the Great Man's work since the age of 10 when I found my mother's copy of his Collected Plays. His other portraits do nothing for me. They don't convey the spirit, the fun, the tragedy and frivolity of life. I saw this picture and...it's him!!! Like the woman who saw the portrait in Canada..."This guy is fun!" I think Ms. Nolen makes quite a good case that this may be Shakespeare's portrait. Just because there is no provenance that certifies William Shakespeare sat for the portrait---this is the best we have to date.