This book investigates the authorship of the play Pericles by applying advanced stylistic analysis to determine the extent of collaboration between William Shakespeare and George Wilkins. MacDonald P. Jackson, a scholar known for his work in computational stylistics and authorship attribution, utilizes a rigorous methodology to examine linguistic patterns, vocabulary usage, and metrical preferences. By comparing the text of Pericles against known works of both authors, the book establishes a framework for identifying individual contributions within collaborative Elizabethan drama. This study serves as a model for applying empirical data to long-standing questions of canon and attribution in early modern literature.

Scholars in the field of Shakespearean studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the methodology of authorship attribution. Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, which is tailored for an academic audience interested in the intersection of literature and data analysis.