Table of Contents

1. Introduction: 'Fond records: All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past', Hannah Leah Crumme, The National Archives; 2. 'For everything is seal'd and done': Shakespeare and the Course of the Seals, Adrian Ailes, The National Archives; 3. 'Upon thy cheek lay I this zealous kiss,/ As seal to this indenture of my love' : Corroborating Early Modern Property Transactions, Alan H. Nelson, University of California, Berkley, USA; 4. 'Each fair instalment, coat, and several crest,/ With loyal blazon, evermore be blest!': Exploring Shakespeare's Coat of Arms, Heather Wolfe, Folger Shakespeare Library, USA; 5. 'If you will take this audit, take this life,/ And cancel these cold bonds': The Revels Accounts and Reconstructing Early Modern Economics of Performance, W.R. Streitberger, University of Washington, USA; 6. 'And ruin'd love, when it is built anew, / Grows fairer than at first, more strong, far greater': The Legal Construction of the Globe, Allison Lenhardt,Wingate University, USA; 7. 'Propinquity and property of blood': Shakespeare's Investments in Stratford, Robert Bearman,Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, UK; 8. 'That opportunity/ Which then they had to take from 's, to resume/ We have again': The Untapped Potential of the Court of Requests, Hannah Leah Crumme, The National Archives, UK 9. 'The earth can yield me but a common grave,/ When you entombed in men's eyes shall lie': Reconsidering Shakespeare's Will through Heritage Science, Katy Mair, The National Archives, UK; 10. 'Or I shall live your epitaph to make,/ Or you survive when I in earth am rotten': The Second Best Bed and the Ann Hathaway's Expectations, Lena Cowen Orlin, Georgetown University, USA; 11. Conclusion: 'A document in madness! Thoughts and remembrance fitted': Futures in Archival Shakespeare Studies, Eric Johnson, Folger Shakespeare Library, USA

Promotional Information

An exploration of major archival discoveries around Shakespeare drawing on the rich resources of the UK's National Archive.

About the Author

Hannah Leah Crumme is Head of Special Collections and Archives at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

If you know anyone who still believes the myth that there is no evidence of Shakespeare’s life, give them this book for Christmas! It is a superb account of the archival process, paying homage to those who have immersed themselves in the records and showcasing compelling new findings.
*Gordon McMullan, King’s College London*

The examples provided by the authors here included demonstrate how much our interpretation of Shakespeare’s life can be reshaped from a careful study of those manuscripts that remain. In the end one comes away wondering what other unexpected dimensions might yet be disclosed.
*The Review of English Studies*