About the book: The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible.

Image description front cover: Front cover shows an illustrated red book surrounded by whimsical animals 

Image description back cover: back cover features praise quotes on a red background with small illustrations.

Back cover text: PRAISE FOR The Bard and the Book: "Who knew that a book about a book could be so thoroughly absorbing? Ann Bausum's The Bard and the Book: How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion
is a meticulously researched, lively, and engaging account."
- CHRIS CROWE, author of Mississippi Trial, 1955 "Ann Bausum is an alchemist. From the dust and memory of 17th-century England she has conjured a sprightly, surprising, laugh-out-loud tale (I'm looking at you, Farting Folio!) that will not only inform young readers, but
perhaps more importantly, delight them. In the vernacular of the Bard,
'Thou must readeth this book!'"
- Sibert Medalist CANDACE FLEMING "To read or not to read? If that is the question, do read this book! You will laugh, learn, and devour Ann Bausum's brilliant and charming account of
how Shakespeare's plays lived past his final act, into eternity." -DEBORAH HEILIGMAN, author of National Book Award finalist Charles
and Emma and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Vincent and Theo "A fascinating, true story filled with humor, warmth, and
surprises. Bausum brings Shakespeare's work to life."
-BARBARA KERLEY, author of Eleanor Makes Her Mark "For a book full of plays, Shakespeare's First Folio is rarely discussed in playful terms. Enter Ann Bausum's The Bard and the Book, which combines scholarship with fun. Its wit and insight make it the perfect
introduction to the book that gave us Shakespeare."
- EMMA SMITH, Professor of Shakespeare Studies, Hertford College, Oxford