The second Oxford edition of Shakespeare's Complete Works reconsiders every detail of their text and presentation in the light of modern scholarship. The nature and authority of the early documents are re-examined, and the canon and chronological order of composition freshly established. Spelling and punctuation are modernized, and there is a brief introduction to each work, as well as an illuminating and informative General Introduction. Included here for the first time is the play The Reign of King Edward the Third as well as the full text of Sir Thomas More. This new edition also features an essay on Shakespeare's language by David Crystal, and a bibliography of foundational works.
William Shakespeare: The Complete Works
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.10
Trade in William Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Oxford Shakespeare) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.10, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
remains the most distinctive, and in many ways the best, one-volume Shakespeare currently available and will not be easily replaced. (Forum for Modern Languages)
About the Author
Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham, the Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Vice-Chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Gary Taylor is Professor in the English Department at the University of Alabama. John Jowett is Associate General Editor of the Oxford Collected Works of Thomas Middleton and co-author of Shakespeare Reshaped 1606-23. William Montgomery works for the Guardian newspaper.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Roman Clodia
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I teach Shakespeare at university level and this is the text that I use. It's certainly not perfect (what is?) and I recommend that students might also want to look at an Arden edition, especially for help with the language. Taylor and Wells have tried to provide us with the most accurate texts of Shakespeare's plays while admitting the caveat that this is a shifting position. The introduction is good on the literary and theatrical background, the volume is robust and well-produced, and the bibliography of further reading is useful.
On the negative side, this uses a fairly small font so some readers might find that a problem. It also, as other reviewers say, doesn't include explanatory notes on the plays themselves or the language, though there is a glossary at the back. The size and weight of the book makes it hefty to carry around and read.
On the positive side, however, I like the fact that this is an edition produced by textual scholars and is as reliable as it's possible to be. I also like that it returns us to the titles under which the plays were known and/or written in their own time, rather than the modern versions, and don't think this is just the editors being gimmicky.
So if you're a Shakespeare 'beginner' and unfamiliar or uncomfortable with sixteenth century language then this might not be the best edition, and I would recommend the Ardens. But if you are a general reader, a student familiar with Shakespeare or someone wanting to experience the plays as they were without needing story summaries and interpretations, then I would recommended this, especially at this price.
On the negative side, this uses a fairly small font so some readers might find that a problem. It also, as other reviewers say, doesn't include explanatory notes on the plays themselves or the language, though there is a glossary at the back. The size and weight of the book makes it hefty to carry around and read.
On the positive side, however, I like the fact that this is an edition produced by textual scholars and is as reliable as it's possible to be. I also like that it returns us to the titles under which the plays were known and/or written in their own time, rather than the modern versions, and don't think this is just the editors being gimmicky.
So if you're a Shakespeare 'beginner' and unfamiliar or uncomfortable with sixteenth century language then this might not be the best edition, and I would recommend the Ardens. But if you are a general reader, a student familiar with Shakespeare or someone wanting to experience the plays as they were without needing story summaries and interpretations, then I would recommended this, especially at this price.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By P
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although I don't own any of the alternative 'complete works' publications (I have also heard, for example, good things said about the RSC complete works edition) for me at least, this Oxford edition is simply an essential part of any fans library. Indeed, it's a great version for anybody who may be studying Shakespeare, but is not full of 'study notes' at the bottom of every page (which I don't like). Instead what we have here is the truly complete (as far as we know at least) canon of the Bard's works. They are presented in a form that is as close to what Shakespeare intended them to be, as is possible to get (at least to our understanding).
Before each play, there is a brief (one page) background introducing the context of the play, and what we know of its performance history, how it was received by critics and audiences, as well as the editors own justifications for having presented the play in such a way that either incorporates, or omits, elements from previous publications (mainly from the good or bad quartos and folios). It's also a real treat to have, for the first time, two different versions of King Lear reproduced in here (purely because we don't know which version in the 'definitive' one).
I own the first edition of this (published back in 1986 or '87 I think) but I have to say I believe this second edition really does surpass it. Not only do you now get more, but you also have, by way of introduction to the volume, a very detailed account of why new things have been included, as well as any reassessments which have been made of the works since 1987.
In conclusion then, a real gem, and a must have for anybody who was ever into Shakespeare, or indeed literature and the English language in general. I can't recommend it highly enough!
Before each play, there is a brief (one page) background introducing the context of the play, and what we know of its performance history, how it was received by critics and audiences, as well as the editors own justifications for having presented the play in such a way that either incorporates, or omits, elements from previous publications (mainly from the good or bad quartos and folios). It's also a real treat to have, for the first time, two different versions of King Lear reproduced in here (purely because we don't know which version in the 'definitive' one).
I own the first edition of this (published back in 1986 or '87 I think) but I have to say I believe this second edition really does surpass it. Not only do you now get more, but you also have, by way of introduction to the volume, a very detailed account of why new things have been included, as well as any reassessments which have been made of the works since 1987.
In conclusion then, a real gem, and a must have for anybody who was ever into Shakespeare, or indeed literature and the English language in general. I can't recommend it highly enough!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Oracle
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
The Oxford Shakespeare is the best single-volume complete works that I've come across. It's particularly good for those who want to look at the plays and poems as they were written, rather than how they developed, as a great deal of effort has gone into trying to construct the most accurate versions of the texts. This is a good attempt to reconstruct the plays as a Renaissance audience would have know them (albeit with modern spellings) and as such is a must for students of 16th and 17th century drama. A particular bonus is the inclusion of the passages believed to be written by Shakespeare from Sir Thomas More and summaries of the lost works Cardenio and Love's Labour's Won.
If you're studying or performing one of plays then do get an individual edition with detailed notes, but as a reference tool this is tough to beat.
If you're studying or performing one of plays then do get an individual edition with detailed notes, but as a reference tool this is tough to beat.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 39 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shakespeare;Complete Works
Excellent hardback edition of The Bard's works , superbly produced and edited , a pleasure to dip into and consult.
Published 3 months ago by PJB
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth the price -
Because you can only jump to the beginning of plays, and there are no Act/Scene links in the index its not must use for popping into for reading excerpts from.
Published 4 months ago by blueyodel1
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful, spacious and good quality paper
I couldn't have wanted for a better Complete Works, since this is not too big, the pages pretty thick compared to most other versions and are lovely, smooth and white, and the text... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Cat
4.0 out of 5 stars
it is very useful book specially for people who are studying...
This book is very good it helps you to find lots of information about Shakspeare's work.
I would suggest this book specially for people who are studing Sheakspeare or people... Read more
I would suggest this book specially for people who are studing Sheakspeare or people... Read more
Published 19 months ago by laura
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not for bedtime reading!
I'll keep this short. This is a scholarly and beautifully produced edition of the writer who created our mind-map. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Stuart C. Clarke
4.0 out of 5 stars
Value for money and a good addition to any bookshelf, but real heavy!
With this product, it really depends what you're looking for. I purchased this because as a student of English I've always wanted a Complete Works of Shakespeare and this was... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2011 by bangendedscoot
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything was perfect
Everything was perfect. The product arrived in perfect conditions and within the expected period of time.
Published on 18 Sep 2009 by Maria Ferrandez
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed feelings
I am not familiar with any other volumes, so I can't tell you if this one is better than any others. Read more
Published on 10 Sep 2009 by Blackbeard
3.0 out of 5 stars
There are better.
This is quite an attractive package in that the typeface is nice, but there are several major flaws:
the plays are ordered chronologically which would take some getting used... Read more
the plays are ordered chronologically which would take some getting used... Read more
Published on 21 April 2009 by D. Beaver
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
This edition is not worth spending the extra money on. The text is cramped, with no explanatory notes on the page. A poor edition to try to study from. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2008 by Ms. Anna L. Waters
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
