The Lambs of London — Peter Ackroyd

Charles and Mary Lamb, who will in time achieve lasting fame as the authors of Tales from Shakespeare for children, are still living at home, caring for their dotty and maddening parents. Reading Shakespeare is the siblings' favorite reprieve, and they are delighted when an ambitious young bookseller comes into their lives claiming to possess a "lost" Shakesperian play. Soon all of London is eagerly anticipating the opening night of a star-studded production of the play, not knowing that they have all been duped by a charlatan and a fraud.