Who Wrote Shakespeare?
The historical evidence and competing explanations
A comparative assessment of the conventional attribution, Edward de Vere, Henry Neville, and other possible principal authors, with explicit attention to the assumptions driving disagreement.
The argument
The paper weighs attribution records, source access, chronology, literary development, and computational evidence. It distinguishes principal authorship from collaboration and considers the different problems posed by each candidate’s surviving record.
How to read this assessment
The paper departs sharply from conventional attribution. Its leading Neville result depends strongly on a declared low Stratford prior and the weight assigned to Neville-specific evidence; sensitivity analysis is central to interpreting it.
A question worth pursuing
How much evidential weight should attribution records carry under a concealment hypothesis?
Cite and share
This page provides an editorial introduction. Consult the paper for its complete evidence, assumptions, sources, and collaboration disclosures. Downloads preserve the edition retrieved on October 18, 2026.