Shakespeare is often praised for his love and understanding of nature. Less has been written about how he acquired these qualities. Biographers assume they arose from a youth in the Stratford-on-Avon countryside. Yet few of the works are set in the settled English Midlands. More are set in wild places: a French forest, a Balkan seacoast, a desert island. Did Shakespeare just imagine these exotic places, or did he experience them? An American nature writer explores these questions and comes up with some surprising responses.