His first book, Shakespeare:The Most Famous Man in London was published by Black Dog Books in 2009. People who say that Shakespeare didn’t write the plays drive him nuts. Shakespeare did write the plays, he says. Don’t be silly.

Tony’s obsession with Shakespeare in began in 1987 while he was studying Literature at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Quite unexpectedly, he found himself identifying with a character in Henry IV, Part 1. Like Prince Hal, Tony was spending most of his time in pubs and not getting along with his father.

That odd moment of recognition led him to write a quote from Hamlet on his cast after he broke his wrist in a fall down a flight of stairs later that year.

“When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions.”

Tony once worked as a gravedigger in Toronto. Though he was nowhere as witty as the fellow in Hamlet, he could be faintly amusing at times. When he found himself replaced by a backhoe, he left Canada for Ireland and began a long period of aimless but interesting travel. He ran with the bulls in Pamplona, had his guitar stolen in Morocco, was treated by a witchdoctor in Thailand, and nearly became an Italian count. The rest of the time, he went to museums and stuff.

He will come to your school and tell wild stories about Shakespeare’s life in Elizabethan London. He has read all of the plays except for one or two and is happy to hand out weapons and create mayhem in your classroom. He can also be extremely serious and knowledgeable. A session on Vampires is on offer as well. His next book will be a history of these strange and popular creatures.

A set of teachers notes has been kindly provided by Black Dog Books for Shakespeare: The Most Famous Man in London.