Hello!
It’s time for “Writer Wednesday“, when I talk about another author and a book of his or hers.
To anyone who’s read my blog, it’s no secret that I like Shakespeare. Recently, I read an amazing book by Neil MacGregor: Shakespeare’s Restless World. Neil MacGregor is the Director of the British Museum (a place that I wanted to camp out at for about a month when I visited!) He was previously the Director of the National Gallery in London, so he definitely knows his history and his art.
In his book, MacGregor explores Shakespeare’s times through examining everyday objects and explaining their significance both to Shakespeare and to his audience. This is more than just a book about Shakespeare. It is a book about Elizabethan and early Stuart England. New explorations, trade routes with Europe and even the plague all figured into the understanding of the plays for the audiences at the Globe Theater. One particularly interesting segment talked about how priests concealed their outlawed religion as traveling cloth merchants. For more fascinating chapters, be sure to pick up a copy!
It is also a beautifully made book with full color illustrations (lots of them!) and thick paper. It conveys the heft of its subject well. With his love of metaphor, I think Shakespeare would approve.
My best to you all,
Megan