Shakespeare, Dickens & the Literature Island

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is the most read, most performed, and most quoted author in human history. 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and over 1,700 words he invented (eyeball, assassination, lonely, swagger). His Globe Theatre in London (reconstruction, since 1997) performs his plays outdoors in the summer — with standing tickets for £5 (Standing Groundling Tickets). Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, is a pilgrimage site for literature lovers.

After Shakespeare: Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Bath), Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, London), the Brontë sisters (Wuthering Heights, Yorkshire), Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes, 221B Baker Street London), J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, inspired by the English Midlands), George Orwell (1984), Ian Fleming (James Bond) and — of course — J.K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter revolutionized the world of children's literature. The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford (near London) is one of Britain's most visited attractions.