W. D. Rubinstein

I've been a fan of Shakespeare's works since studying them at secondary school in the 1980s, and at that point it never would have crossed my mind that William Shakespeare did not write the works attributed to him. The first time I became aware of the Shakespeare authorship question was after the publication of James Shapiro's Contested Will in 2010, and I've been intrigued ever since what the arguments of the anti-Stratfordians could be in order to make the claim that Shakespeare was not the author of the works that bear his name.

In this slim volume of just over 150 pages the author examines the case of eight possible candidates who could have written the works attributed to Shakespeare, including William Shakespeare himself. A short biography of the candidate in question is followed by the pros and cons of them being the true author, leaving it to the reader to make up their own mind as to which candidate they find the most plausible. The book is clearly well researched, with statements backed up by facts and references to titles that are dedicated to the respective candidate; the author himself states that each case would be examined 'in as balanced and objective a manner as possible'. While Rubinstein succeeds on the whole, he is occasionally reduced to mocking particular aspects of a theory that doesn't agree with his own.

I came away with the feeling after having finished the book that the anti-Stratfordians definitely have a point as the evidence that William Shakespeare wrote the works that are attributed to him is not conclusive, in my opinion. Regarding whom I consider to be the most likely candidate, this will need to be further investigated by reading some of the titles mentioned in the bibliography, as well as in the section on each candidate, but it's fair to say that some candidates are more plausible than others. As an introduction to the Shakespeare authorship question you could certainly do a lot worse.… (more)

It’s about time that an academic historian voiced his opinions on the more popular historical topics or conspiracy theories. Finally one has come out of the ivory tower and off of his high horse to get down and dirty with some of history’s greatest mysteries.
William D. Rubinstein has decided to deal with some popular historical questions academics have tended to ignore. Like: Who killed JFK? Who was Jack the Ripper? Who wrote William Shakespeare’s plays? Did Richard III murder the Princes in the Tower? Did Jesus marry and survive the crucifixion? Who built the Pyramids and the Sphinx? These have typically been dealt with by amateur historians, who are a mixed bag. Some are crackpots, and some, the author concedes, outdo academics in their chosen speciality.
Thankfully, Rubinstein is willing to discuss the conspiracy theories and speculations of the amateur historians in a balanced and objective way. He does not dismiss all the stranger notions offhand, but refutes them logically, if at all. He examines the topics in detail, before arriving at his conclusion. Furthermore, he is willing to embrace an unorthodox or original answer, such as in the Shakespeare authorship question, where he concludes that William Shakespeare could not have written the works attributed to him, and offers an alternative answer. Not only does each chapter largely resolve each mystery, but they also serve as a decent introduction to each topic for the unfamiliar reader. No previous knowledge is assumed.
He admits that he wrote this to see if he could do better than the amateurs who addressed these topics. I think he has, and the resulting book is a stimulating read for anyone who is interested in history or has ever entertained the thought of a conspiracy theory.
So if you are wondering who built the pyramids, or if Dan Brown was right, this should be your first port of call.… (more)