The anti-Stratfordian faction of Shakespeare lovers is replete with those who have been trained to study evidence: lawyers, doctors, and scientists of all fields. Peter A. Sturrock, PhD -- emeritus professor of applied physics and emeritus director of the Center for Space Science and Astrophysics at Stanford University -- has brought his mathematical genius to bear on the topic of the Shakespeare authorship with his self-published book, AKA Shakespeare: a Scientific Approach to the Authorship Question (EXO Science, 2013).
Even though I sat through a calculus course in high school,
this reader must confess that the mathematics involved in Professor Sturrock’s
thesis eluded my understanding, so I cannot comment on its value as ammunition
in the authorship battle. I can attest, however, to the lucidity of Sturrock’s
prose and the freshness of his approach.
In an article titled “Who wrote Shakespeare's plays? Stanford professor lets you decide” by
Stanford news intern Paul Gabrielsen in the March 18, 2013 Stanford Report, Gabrielsen
said:
"In his new book, AKA Shakespeare: A Scientific Approach to the Authorship
Question, Sturrock explores the argument through the eyes of four
fictional characters, each with a different perspective on the debate. They
voice their opinions on 25 pieces of evidence, but Sturrock invites readers to
weigh in as well and arrive at their own conclusion. . . . Years before, while
studying pulsars, Sturrock devised a new method to process information using
statistics. His method was based on a statistical concept known as Bayes'
theorem, which states that probabilities change depending on the information
you have.Sturrock describes the concept in his book: If you reach
into a bag with 99 white balls and 1 black ball, you would say that the odds of
picking the black ball are 1 in 100. But if you know the black ball is cracked,
you have new information, and your odds improve dramatically. Using Bayesian
statistics, Sturrock can incorporate information from both theory and data in
his analysis. . . .
Sturrock, 88, who lives in Palo Alto, says he has had
positive response from colleagues about his book and he anticipates publishing
the data from readers in six to eight months. The book is available in a $9.99 Kindle
version as well as paperback from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/AKA-Shakespeare-Scientific-Approach-Authorship/dp/0984261419.
The book was preceded by a 2008 article titled “Shakespeare: the Authorship
Question, a Bayesian Approach” published by Sturrock in the Journal of
Scientific Exploration, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 529-537. The article is available
at Shakespeare:
the Authorship Question, a Bayesian Approach by P.A. Sturrock in Journal of
Scientiļ¬c Exploration, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 529–537, 2008
Biography:
Peter A. Sturrock, PhD, is emeritus professor of
applied physics and emeritus director of the Center for Space Science and
Astrophysics at Stanford University. He has received numerous awards, including
prizes from the American Astronomical Society, the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Cambridge University, the Gravity Foundation, and
the National Academy of Sciences. His other publications include five edited
volumes, three monographs, and three hundred scientific articles and reports.
UPDATE: December 30,2024
Stanford University announcement September 18, 2024:
"Peter Sturrock, distinguished physicist and emeritus professor at Stanford University passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his friends and family, on August 12, 2024, at the age of 100. A pioneering scientist, Sturrock was known for his profound contributions to the fields of astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar research."