In partnerships with the website sonnetsofshakespeare.com, which contains video recordings of the author reciting each sonnet, The Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare thoroughly demystifies 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Each is presented and illuminated by a short Essence Statement, clarified in a Diagram for Greater Understanding, and described in a unique and entertaining narrative description. Embedded within the descriptions are tidbits of interesting information about Shakespeare, his associates, and cultural circumstances of the time—along with writing techniques and word play in which Shakespeare indulged, and observations from Shakespeare scholars.

"Walters examines 32 of Shakespeare’s sonnets in this brief, informative investigation. As the author suggests, people are probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays than his poetry. Each chapter discusses six or seven sonnets around a theme, such as living life’s span or managing relationships. The pattern for each chapter is the same: a copy of the sonnet, a few sentences on the sonnet’s essential message, a diagram of the sonnet, and two pages of commentary. In the commentary, Walters provides a brief analysis of the sonnet, some background from Shakespeare’s life, and some reference to issues that may have arisen in the scholarship about Shakespeare and the individual to whom the sonnet was dedicated. This is an accessible, enlightening perspective on the poems. Readers who are new to Shakespeare’s work and those who are steeped in it will enjoy this book and gain from it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers." - CHOICE