The boyhood of William Shakespeare, with sketches of the home and school life; the games and sports; manners, customs, and folk-lore of the time intended by the author "to give young folk some glimpses of rural life in England when Shakespeare was a boy, and also to help them - and possibly their elders - to a better understanding of many allusions in his works." William James Rolfe (1827-1910) was an educator, editor and scholar, best known for the editions of Shakespeare plays that he prepared for use in elementary schools. The degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Harvard in 1859 and by Amherst in 1865, and that of Litt. D. by Amherst in 1887. He was the president of Emerson College 1903 until 1908.