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In 1795, a 19-year-oldLondon lawclerk presented his pretentious, social-climbing father with a gift, a deedsigned by Shakespeare. The lad had forged the document with some skill, hopingto win his father’s favor. It worked. Soon enough, the boy produced a glut ofShakespeare forgeries, including previously unknown poems, and convinced manyauthorities of their authenticity. TheBoyWho Would Be Shakespeareexplains the deception with psychological insight into the boy, his family andthe educated audience that embraced his forgeries as genuine. Shakespeare’sreputation had only recently risen from the dustbin to the top shelf of England’scultural pantheon. Scholars and fans were seeking relics of the demigod, andthe teenage forger sated their desire. As author Doug Stewart astutelyobserves: “Once people decide they know what they’re seeing, they use newinformation to reinforce what they already know.”
