In fact, these are only a few of the 2035 words, first used by The Bard of Avon.Īdd to this extensive list of words phrases like: “ one fell swoop, vanish into thin air, bag and baggage, play fast and loose, go down the primrose path, be in a pickle, budge an inch, the milk of human kindness…” and hundreds of others.Įven if you aren’t a huge Shakespeare fan, Bryson’s book is loaded with fascinating details about how the poet plied his trade as well as what life was like at the end of the 16th Century. Of these, most were property deeds, tax and legal records, which tell us a bit about the business of the man’s life, but amazingly little about the man.įor instance: did you know that the words “abstemious, antipathy, critical, frugal, dwindle, extract, horrid, vast, hereditary, critical, excellent, eventful, barefaced, assassination, lonely, leapfrog, indistinguishable, well-read, zany, and countless others (including countless)” were coined by Shakespeare. The most celebrated poet in the English language left behind a literary legacy of nearly one million words of text, but in 400 years of relentless searching, only about 100 documents relating to Shakespeare have been found. In his typical in-depth, clever, and entertaining fashion, Bryson sorts through research, past and present, to set the record straight on exactly what we do, and in most cases don’t, know about William Shakespeare. He’s a fabulous story-teller and his ability to make even the most mundane minutia from everyday life interesting and frequently funny, has made us big fans throughout his career.Īnd as a part of the Eminent Lives series, Bill Bryson pens another entertaining and informative success in his short biography Shakespeare: The World as Stage. We were living in London at the time, and could absolutely relate to his quirky take on being an American abroad.

We, and much of the rest of the world, were introduced to Bill Bryson’s work in his hilarious Notes From a Small Island.

Bill bryson the world as stage