The Boy Who Would Be Shakespeare - Doug Stewart

During his career as a London playwright, in fact, Shakespeare appeared not to care greatly whether his plays were printed and sold for popular consumption. The publication of plays was almost an afterthought. At a time when most people in England were barely literate, live performances were what mattered.
Nearly half of Shakespeare's plays never appeared in print until the First Folio was published in 1623, seven years after his death. The theater friends who compiled the texts sometimes had to scrounge for old prompt books--copies of play scripts made by a theater's scribe--and then piece scenes together. In many cases, passages could be reconstructed only by tracking down actors who had played a part years before and asking them to recite their lines from memory. Printers both before and after the playwright's death used their own judgement in intrepreting the handwritten pages they had to work from, giving rise to multiple versions of the plays.

This is a very enjoyable read and for lovers of Shakespeare, a must read. It tells the true story of a boy who creates a huge scandal in the 1790s with his forged documents. The book has several layers to it, including the relationship of the boy and his father and the public attitude of Shakespeare. This is not a typical forgery where money is the object. And while many forgeries are designed to appeal to art or antique experts, these forgeries were designed to fool the public. It it amazing how successful this became and the outcome. Along with the great story, the author does a very nice job of including details about Shakespeare and his times.