For years a popular debate has been raging about whether Shakespeare really was the author of the many famous plays and poems published in his name. Shakespeare could not have accomplished this great feat, argue the doubters, and point instead to other well-known figures. Who Wrote Bacon? offers a completely new perspective, examining afresh the evidence to hand, and introducing unexplored aspects of Rudolf Steiner's spiritual-scientific research. The author discusses Shakespeare's life as an actor, riddles of the debate such as the enigmatic Psalm 46, and the persistent question of Francis Bacon's connection with Shakespeare.

In recent years a movement has been gaining ground to establish that Bacon himself covertly wrote Shakespeare's great works. This movement is not content with this radical claim, but further seeks to place Bacon on the chief pedestal of British civilization as something of a patron saint of the modern scientific age. Ramsbotham provides substantial confirmation of a definite connection between Shakespeare and Bacon, but one which radically challenges the conclusions of the Baconian movement. The author also opens up remarkable new perspectives on King James I and his connections not only with Shakespeare and Bacon, but also with Jakob Boehme, Rudolf II, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and the original Globe Theatre.

Published 400 years after the Hampton Court Conference of 1604, Who Wrote Bacon? offers a timely contribution to these themes, and shows how they remain of critical importance to understanding the twenty-first century.

"A book vital for English-speaking people and for our time." - Terry M. Boardman, author of Mapping the Millennium

"Who Wrote Bacon offers the most incisive contribution to the Shakespeare authorship question we have seen to date... Ramsbotham's insight into these matters is precise, profound and indispensable. Without what he unveils in this book, we are simply left in the dark." - Dr John O'Meara, author of Othello's Sacrifice and Prospero's Powers

"This highly exciting book opens up a new understanding of King James I and his connections to esoteric streams of his time. Furthermore, it gives valuable insight into the intriguing interrelationships between secret spiritual impulses and mainstream cultural life at the time of Shakespeare." - Dr Kristin Rygg, senior lecturer at Hedmark University College, Norway; author of Masqued Mysteries Unmasked

RICHARD RAMSBOTHAM (M.A. Cantab.) was born in 1962. After teaching English Literature at Warsaw University (1989-1993) he trained at Artemis School of Speech and Drama, and later worked as a performer and writer with the Rose Theatre Company. He currently teaches drama at the Glasshouse College, Stourbridge, and is writing the authorized biography of Vernon Watkins.