"By The Book"
A Shakespeare Authorship Quarterly Book Club
Together we Read 4 Books per Year!
10 weeks to Buy the Book & Read it.
Summer 2026
O, sir, we quarrel in print by the book, as you have books for good manners. I will name you the degrees. The first, the Retort Courteous; the second, the Quip Modest; the third, the Reply Churlish;
-- Touchstone, from As You Like It
Our Summer Book Club selection, the play Gorboduc, was first performed at a Christmas celebration in 1561. Thomas Norton wrote the first three acts and Thomas Sackville the final two.
The realm of Gorboduc is disputed by his two sons in what can be seen as a forerunner to King Lear and Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare was clearly familiar with the play. In Twelfth Night, the Fool explicitly mentions "a niece of King Gorboduc".
It's a community, not a class. Fall behind or skim ahead, but keep on reading and emailing! And do participate in our frequent read alouds of the play via Zoom.
Note, you must participate to the best of your ability from the start in order to attend the final Zoom with our guest speaker.
ZOOM MEETING
Saturday, September 12th, 10 AM
Pacific Time
