From the acclaimed author of The Map Thief comes the true story of a self-taught Shakespeare sleuth’s quest to prove his eye-opening theory about the source of the English language’s most famous plays.

In this gripping audiobook, North by Shakespeare, the narrative unfolds around Dennis McCarthy, described as the “Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community,” and Sir Thomas North, an Elizabethan courtier whom McCarthy posits as the undiscovered source for Shakespeare’s plays. Over the past fifteen years, McCarthy has leveraged plagiarism software to draw connections between famous works such as Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet and North’s writings. McCarthy presents a bold theory that while Shakespeare wrote the plays, he adapted them from source material by North, often composed for North’s patron, Robert Dudley, in his pursuit of Queen Elizabeth’s affection. With a newly discovered journal chronicling North’s travels through Europe, this audiobook invites listeners to explore a dramatic interweaving of history and literature, rich with intrigue and fresh insights into the beloved playwright’s genius.