The Riverside Shakespeare

For anyone who, like me, has a love of language and a love of Shakespeare that has endured beyond school days, this is absolutely essential. Of the many editions there are of Shakespeare's complete canon, The Riverside Shakespeare has the most to offer readers of all backgrounds, be they students, hobbyists or scholars. Of the few editions that provide explanatory glossaries/footnotes along with the text, those of the Riverside Shakespeare are the most complete, making the Bard's sometimes impenetrable text much more accessible. In addition, there is a wealth of appendix and background reading material, providing information on the England of Shakespeare's time and also on the various interpretations of his work, all beautifully illustrated with colour photographs. The Riverside Shakespeare is worth shelling out a little extra money for, and will be cherished for a lifetime.

I am taking a Shakespeare class (or reading group, if you will) and this text was required. Since I already have two complete sets of Shakespeare's works, which I paid considerably less for, I didn't see a need for this text. Well, I was wrong! I decided to buy it since the reviews proved that this edition may be more informative then the less expensive editions I already own. That was very true to form! I found the introduction of the book, and of all of the works, very informative; and most of all, I found the glossary at the bottom of each page to be extremely valuable. These are features which my other volumes did not include and it was worth every extra penny for this volume. I would highly recommend it! Tammie Germantown, MD

As an actor, director, and scholar, I must say that The Riverside Shakespeare is the most complete Shakespeare collection on the market. It is an excellent buy for anyone who will be studying the plays in depth, since it gives background in the introduction as well as extensive notes to the text. This text clarifies some tricky questions about the Bard's works. Its value lies in the careful attention to detail, but this does mean that the reader looking for specific elements will have to sort through a wealth of information -- not necessarily a bad thing, yes? I highly recommend this to anyone serious about Shakespeare.

This one-volume edition of Shakespeare's works is the most complete I found on the market: it includes "The Two Noble Kinsmen", Shakespeare's addition to "Sir Thomas More" (with photographical reproduction of the pages believed to be in his handwrite), the currently hot debated poem "A Funeral Elegy by W. S." and, above all, "The Reign of King Edward III", a new play recently accepted in the canon by many authoritative editors (Arden, Cambridge, Oxford). The text of each work is carefully edited and accompanied by helpful glossarial notes, a textual discussion with short bibliography, and an impressive collation which allows the reader to find variant readings and emendations. An exhaustive critical introduction precedes each play and poem, dealing with authorship, date, sources, textual differences between quarto and folio texts, and of course the principal thematic issues. What makes this a superb edition - and indeed a real "companion" to Shakespeare studies! - is the great amount of subsidiary material, including a general introduction - focusing on Shakespeare's life, art, language, style, and on the Elizabethan historical and theatrical background - and a series of useful essays on various themes: critical approaches to the plays and poems, philological issues, history of the plays on the stage, television and cinema. There are also many interesting documents, synoptic tables, glossaries, indexes, illustrated tables (both coloured and b & w) , the reproduction of the introductory pages of the First Folio of 1623, and a rich bibliography. I personally consider this book a must have for every teacher, scholar, or simply amateur of the greatest of all poets. Buy it!