Reveals the hidden history of the house where Shakespeare was born and its changing fortunes over four centuries, mirroring the changing attitudes towards Shakespeare as a man and global icon.

'[A] page-turning story' - Laurie Maguire, Times Literary Supplement

'A terrific addition to the Shakespeare library ... eye-opening.' - Michael Billington, Country Life

Now available in paperback, Richard's Schoch's compelling history of Shakespeare's birthplace reveals the value we place on the building and on the man himself.

In the wide realm of Shakespeare worship, the house in Stratford-upon-Avon where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 – known colloquially as the ‘Birthplace’ – remains the chief shrine. It’s not as romantic as Anne Hathaway’s thatched cottage, it’s not where he wrote any of his plays, and there’s nothing inside the house that once belonged to Shakespeare himself. So why, for centuries, have people kept turning up on the doorstep? Richard Schoch answers that question by examining the history of the Birthplace and by exploring how its changing fortunes over four centuries perfectly mirror the changing attitudes toward Shakespeare himself.

Based on original research in the archives of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and featuring two black and white illustrated plate sections, this book traces the history of Shakespeare’s birthplace over four centuries. Beginning in the 1560s, when Shakespeare was born there, it ends in the 1890s, when the house was rescued from private purchase and turned into the Shakespeare monument that it remains today.

"Schoch has a gift for archival details and their complement: anecdotes and traditions … [A] page-turning story, which takes us skilfully from Elizabethan houses in general to these two Shakespeare houses in particular." - Times Literary Supplement

"This book is a terrific addition to the Shakespeare library … Combining social, architectural and theatrical history, the first third of the book offers a vivid evocation of life in Elizabethan Stratford … His most piercing observation, in this eye-opening book, is that the most important person in the birthplace is not the absent Shakespeare, but the curious visitor who finds in it whatever he or she is looking for." - Country Life

"The book is jam-packed with facts and dates, but it flows well and it's easy to follow - Shakespeare's House is a delectable piece of microhistory and the perfect stocking filler for those who dabble in bardolatry." - Broadway World UK

"[Schoch] proves himself an impressive detective with a nose for a good story … Entertaining in its own right and also helpful as a reminder of the life and work of the great man." - British Theatre Guide

"A lively account of Shake­speare’s Birthplace." - The Church Times

"Fascinating … A detailed and highly compelling story that involves so much more than bricks and mortar." - The Stratford-Herald

"There’s a sweet spot that must be struck when writing a Shakespeare book, one between nicheness and accessibility, originality and straightforwardness. Schoch nails the brief, and then some … A book that soon reveals itself to be genuinely and sustainedly interesting … If you have an interest in Shakespeare, fantastic; you are positively guaranteed to learn something new and pay more serious attention to issues of materiality and place that oftentimes fly under the radar during our study of genius. If you don’t give a fig about the Bard, but happen upon a copy, give it a go. There is more than enough insight into the things that were essential to Shakespeare, that are essential to us, to keep you hooked." - The Arts Desk