As an illustrated biography of William Shakespeare this is an immensely enjoyable book. Michael Wood looks at Shakespeare's life as a playwright, a businessman, a poet, a family man and a courtier. One aspect I had never come across was a look at Shakespeare's religious beliefs and the context in which they took place.
During the 1500s England saw much in the way of religious strife due to the conflicting, and at time exclusionary, beliefs of Protestant and Catholic rulers. From childhood Shakepeare would have seen how this affected the life of his own parents, who were almost certainly practicing Catholics. This certainly had an effect on his work, determining which subjects he would pursue for his plays.
The book has some great contemporary illustrations as well as maps of some of the London neighborhoods Shakespeare lived and worked in. Definitely a good place to start if you really want to get to know the Bard.
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