Arden, Warwickshire prominent in the area for centuries. Mary Arden, mother of William Shakespeare, was a member. Shakespeare's play "As You Like It" is set in the Forest of Arden, however it is an imaginary version incorporating elements from the Ardennes forest in Thomas Lodge's prose romance "Rosalynde" and the real forest (both as it was then, subjected to deforestation and enclosure, and the romanticized version of his youth). Towns in the area include Hampton-in-Arden, Henley-in-Arden, and Tanworth-in-Arden. The Countryside Commission considered creating a new national forest in the area in 1989, but the proposal was not taken up. A national forest
Tom Arden his Ph.D. thesis on "Clarissa", the epic tale by 18th-century novelist Samuel Richardson. In 1990, he moved to the United Kingdom, living in Northern Ireland and England. He lectured in English at Queen's University of Belfast for seven years. Since 2003, he lectured creative writing at Middlesex University, London. Arden died of cancer on 15 December 2015. Tom Arden David Rain (2 May 1961 – 15 December 2015), known by his pen name Tom Arden, was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. He was born in Australia. His main work is the five volume "Orokon" saga, as well as