The best books to take you backstage when you’re in the mood for a spot of Shakespeare

Carol M. Cram Author Of The Muse of Fire
By Carol M. Cram

Who am I?

I’ve loved the theater ever since I first stepped on stage in a high school production of You Can’t Take It With You. I had one line and was hooked! And as for Shakespeare–I fell in love with the Bard when I was 13 and saw Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. My best friend and I spent hours reciting the lines (I still remember whole speeches). So, when I was looking for an artsy subject (I love the arts) for my third novel, I naturally turned to the theater. I have a Master of Arts in Drama from the University of Toronto and when I’m not writing, I run Art In Fiction, a website showcasing 1700+ novels inspired by the arts.

I wrote...

The Muse of Fire

By Carol M. Cram,

Book cover of The Muse of Fire

What is my book about?

Shakespeare's sweeping themes meet the wit of Jane Austen in a mashup of theater riots and drawing room angst. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the Old Price Riots of 1809 at London’s Theatre Royal Covent Garden, aspiring actress Grace and theater manager Ned find common purpose in a quest that threatens to tear both their worlds apart.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission. 

The books I picked & why

Entertaining Mr. Pepys

By Deborah Swift,

Book cover of Entertaining Mr. Pepys

Why did I love this book?

Entertaining Mr. Pepys explores the world of British theater during a time when women were finally allowed on stage as actresses. I loved it because of how the author explored her main character’s fascination with acting, which reminded me very much of how Grace in my own book is captivated by the stage and willing to go to any lengths to become an actress. I have read several of Swift’s novels and credit them with inspiring me to write my own novels based on women in the arts.

Entertaining Mr. Pepys

By Deborah Swift,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Entertaining Mr. Pepys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir, Anne O'Brien and Elizabeth Chadwick, Deborah Swift brings a unique period in history to vivid, fascinating life in her acclaimed Pepys trilogy.

'A remarkably beguiling read. It transported me to the glitter and filth of seventeenth century London' Martine Bailey, author of The Almanack

'The fusion of historical facts and fiction is so flawless that it is hard to know where reality ends and fiction begins' Readers' Favorite

London, 1666. Elizabeth 'Bird' Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Shakespeare's Rebel

By C.C. Humphreys,

Book cover of Shakespeare's Rebel

Why did I love this book?

I loved this swashbuckling tale of Shakespeare’s fight master because it took me back to Elizabethan England and right on to the stage at The Globe theater. There’s plenty of action and intrigue (the main character’s not only an actor and fight master but a spy!) that inspired me when I was writing the action scenes in my book. The author fills the pages with an impressive amount of historical detail while maintaining a brisk, page-turning pace.

Shakespeare's Rebel

By C.C. Humphreys,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shakespeare's Rebel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A gripping historical adventure packed with intrigue, deception, rebellion, politics, love and war, that fans of C.J. Sansom will love.

London 1599, a city on the brink of revolution...

He is Queen Elizabeth's last, perhaps her greatest, love - Robert Deveraux, Earl of Essex. Champion jouster, dashing general...and the man that John Lawley, England's finest swordsman, most wishes to avoid. For John knows the other earl - the reckless melancholic - and has had to risk his life for him in battle one time too many.

All John wants is to be left alone to win back the heart of…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Burning Bright

By Tracy Chevalier,

Book cover of Burning Bright

Why did I love this book?

Tracy Chevalier writes the novels I want to write! I’ve read just about all of them and was particularly excited to discover Burning Bright. Chevalier’s depiction of London in the early 19th century is masterful, and hugely inspiring for me. Burning Bright is a coming-of-age story that centers around two children’s interactions with the great poet William Blake. I met Tracy Chevalier at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Oxford where she made my day by graciously agreeing to accept a copy of my first novel The Towers of Tuscany which was heavily inspired by her novels and even insisting that I sign it! 

Burning Bright

By Tracy Chevalier,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Burning Bright as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of the international bestseller Girl With a Pearl Earring and At the Edge of the Orchard, comes a stirring eighteenth-century coming-of-age tale

In the waning days of eighteenth-century London, poet, artist, and printer William Blake works in obscurity as England is rocked by the shock waves of the French Revolution. Next door, the Kellaway family has just moved in, and country boy Jem Kellaway strikes up a tentative friendship with street-savvy Maggie Butterfield. As their stories intertwine with Blake's, the two children navigate the confusing and exhilarating path to adolescence, and inspire the poet to create the…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Shakespeare for Squirrels

By Christopher Moore,

Book cover of Shakespeare for Squirrels

Why did I love this book?

Christopher Moore’s Shakespeare-themed novels are a hoot! He takes the hallowed works of the Bard and turns them into hysterical adventures starring Pocket (King Lear’s fool), Drool, and their pet monkey Jeff. The second in a trilogy is Shakespeare for Squirrels, Moore’s take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s irreverent and hilarious and left me breathless with admiration for Moore’s incredibly fertile imagination.

Shakespeare for Squirrels

By Christopher Moore,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shakespeare for Squirrels as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New York Times Bestseller!

Shakespeare meets Dashiell Hammett in this wildly entertaining murder mystery from New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore-an uproarious, hardboiled take on the Bard's most performed play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring Pocket, the hero of Fool and The Serpent of Venice, along with his sidekick, Drool, and pet monkey, Jeff.

Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging-last seen in The Serpent of Venice-washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.

But the island is in turmoil.…

Explore
Topics
Genres

Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London

By Marc Baer,

Book cover of Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London

Why did I love this book?

This academic work rarely left my side when I was writing The Muse of Fire. It provides an in-depth and well-researched overview for readers who want to know more about the Old Price Riots of 1809—the central historical event in the novel. For me, a huge bonus was that the author, Marc Baer, very graciously consented to read and provide feedback on my book before it was published to ensure I got my facts right about the longest-running and most disruptive riot in British theatrical history.

Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London

By Marc Baer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Theatre and Disorder in Late Georgian London as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In September 1809, during the opening night of Macbeth at the newly rebuilt Covent Garden theatre, the audience rioted over the rise in ticket prices. Disturbances took place on a further sixty-six nights that autumn and the Old Price riots became the longest running theatre riots in English history. This book describes the events in detail, sets them in their wider context, and uses them to examine the interpenetration of theatre and disorder. Previous
understandings of the riots are substantially revised by stressing populist rather than class politics and the book concentrates on the theatricality of audiences, the role of…

Explore
Topics
Genres

5 book lists we think you will like!

The best books that help us understand Shakespeare and his times
The best books to understand and enjoy Shakespeare in the twenty-first century
The best biography books that tell the truth
The best novels relating to Shakespeare
The best books on how Shakespeare thought about the mind

Interested in William Shakespeare, London, and theatres?

9,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about William Shakespeare, London, and theatres.

William Shakespeare Explore 165 books about William Shakespeare
London Explore 647 books about London
Theatres Explore 74 books about theatres

And, 3 books we think you will enjoy!

We think you will like Exhibiting Englishness, Nothing Like the Sun, and The Tutor if you like this list.

Book cover of Exhibiting Englishness: John Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery and the Formation of a National Aesthetic Book cover of Nothing Like the Sun: A Story of Shakespeare's Love-Life Book cover of The Tutor