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Title: The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition by William Shakespeare, Walter Cohen, Jean E. Howard, Katharine Eisaman Maus, Stephen Greenblatt, Andrew Gurr ISBN: 0-393-97087-6 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: March, 1997 Format: Textbook Binding Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $71.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The only Shakespeare you'll ever need!
Comment: Up until recently, the only Shakespeare I ever read was in school. Ten years later, I decided to reacquaint myself with his works. I checked this version out from the library and because it is so comprehensive, I eventually bought it.
With over 3,400 pages and all Shakespeare's known plays and poems, the high price of this book is well worth it. You'll probably never need another book of his works. The only downside is that it is very heavy (about the thickness of two hardcover novels) and the pages are extremely thin (and wrinkle easily).
Intended as a textbook, the editors of this edition add biographical information, glossaries, period illustrations and footnotes. If you're reading Shakespeare for pleasure, I would recommend reading the intro to each play after you have read it through once. The intros tend to give away a bit much of the story (this can be a plus if you're reading this for a class). I'm not suggesting that you skip them altogether, as they do add helpful insight and perspective to each play.
I haven't read all the plays yet, but my favorite so far is The Taming of the Shrew. This is the best play I've read in a long time. I laughed out loud in several places. I told the story to my 7 year old son and he even laughed! I also discovered that there is another play called The Taming of a Shrew that is similar to The Taming of the Shrew but with additional passages. These extra passages are also included in this edition.
The editors always let you know when more than one version of a play has been found. They include three known versions of King Lear. Two are presented on facing pages so that you can easily see the differences. They also include a conflated version, often used in actual productions.
I recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a little or a lot of Shakespeare.
Rating: 5
Summary: One bard, one book
Comment: As a fervent admirer of Shakespeare, this complete collection, comprising excellent introductions to each play and helpful textual notes as well as informative writings on the history of both England and the art of acting that shaped Shakespeare's writing, was like a dream come true. While before I had to walk around trying to find a good edition of the play I wanted to read, now I can open the Norton Shakespeare and read without being afraid of not understanding words or missing the point of the play. This book's obvious drawbacks are its heft and, as mentioned, its delicate pages, but these are easily outweighed by the abovementioned advantages! Buy it and read!
Rating: 5
Summary: The Best Available
Comment: I am new to Shakespeare and have started to read about him, his times, his works, and as a hobby try to become fairly knowledgeable about him and his place in our literary history. Starting from the basics I have reviewed a number of books and eventually I put together a "listmania" list of about 22-25 books. I am still not an expert nor do I claim such.
Having said that, to get your feet wet there are a few good biographies and I like the Anthony Burgess book "Shakespeare" that is an easy read and just over 200 pages long. Also there are a few other books and tour guides such as the new DK guide with lots of maps and photos. Then there are books such as Boyce's book "Shakespeare A to Z".
But I think the crown jewel of the books available is the present book almost 3500 pages long with CD which rises head and shoulders above anything else on the market. It is simply an excellent book by a group of highly qualified editors using the resources of Oxford. Obviously it can be improved but as of now it is the leader.
Jack in Toronto
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Title: The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare: An Introduction With Documents by Russ McDonald ISBN: 0312248806 Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $22.75 |
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Title: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 B: The SixteenthCentury/The Early Seventeenth Century by M. H. Abrams, Stephen Greenblatt, George M. Logan, Barbara Kiefer Lewalski ISBN: 0393975665 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: December, 1999 List Price(USD): $39.80 |
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Title: Shakespeare Criticism in the Twentieth Century (Oxford Shakespeare Topics) by Michael Taylor ISBN: 0198711840 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: April, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare by Michael Dobson, Stanley Wells ISBN: 0198117353 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: November, 2001 List Price(USD): $60.00 |
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Title: Shakespeare A to Z : The Essential Reference to His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More by Charles Boyce ISBN: 0385313616 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 10 November, 1991 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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