Sweet William: Twenty Thousand Hours with Shakespeare (Nick Hern Books) - Hardcover

Michael Pennington has played many leading roles in the West End, for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the English Shakespeare Company, of which he was co-founder and joint Artistic Director from 1986 1992. He has also directed several productions of Shakespeare’s plays, including Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

'If I weren't a Shakespearean junkie, Pennington would have turned me into one' John Peter, Sunday Times * 'As well rounded a portrait of Shakespeare as you could hope for' Michael Billington, Guardian * I can't remember when I learned so much from a single volume as I have from Michael Pennington's engaging, absorbing, congenial, informative new book Sweet William...As a former English teacher, who probably taught Henry V more than any other Shakespeare play, I wish I could have shared Pennington's insights with my A level students. And I hope people teaching the play now will do just that...anecdotal, often lyrical, always thoughtful and occasionally laugh-aloud funny, Pennington's book is a must-read for anyone interested in Shakespeare from almost any angle - actor, drama student, teacher, director, technician, literature student or audience member. The Stage A terrific achievement; it's a mightily detailed and enlightening exploration of Shakespeare's plays. Many people have written such books, or course, but what marks out Pennington's as something different is that he comes at his task from a different angle. He comes at is as a committed (and hugely experienced) hands-on theatre practitioner...there is little doubt this refreshing account will be, itself, cited by many for some time to come. A great read. Reviewsgate.com Michael Pennington is a great Shakespearian actor who writes with the authority of an academic. His book analyses the plays, the characters and the playwright's life. It will intrigue, entertain and challenge students, actors and their audiences. It undoubtedly leads the field in modern Shakespeare scholarship. Ian McKellen There are very few who can bring to Shakespeare the thoughts that are born in the burning heart of hard-earned experience. Michael Pennington not only knows what he means, he has the writer's talent to put this irresistibly into words. Peter Brook Funny and informative, passionate and practical, this book will, like Shakespeare himself, enthral readers of every age. Juliet Stevenson