Image Description: Front cover of The Bard and the Book shows an illustrated Shakespeare holding a red book surrounded by whimsical animals. 

About The Bard and 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.

About the Author: Ann Bausum writes about history for readers of all ages, with a focus on making the past vivid and meaningful for young people. Her books help upper elementary, middle school, and high school readers uncover the drama and significance of historical stories often overlooked in textbooks, with the goal of making history relevant, engaging, alive, and irresistible. In 2015, her adopted home state honored her as Wisconsin’s Notable Children’s Author, and in 2017 her body of work received national recognition with the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C.’s Nonfiction Award.

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