The Histories and Poems of William Shakespeare [Hardcover]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 1995

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1915. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... THE FAMOUS HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF KING HENRY THE EIGHTH INTRODUCTION The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth was first printed--and with comparative accuracy of text--in the folio, 1623. The Prologue, probably written by the dramatist, John Fletcher, prepares the spectators for a play of sad and serious import, concerned mainly with the fall of persons of high estate; if any have paid their shilling to witness a splendid show, they will not be disappointed; but 'fool and fight' and unbecoming mirth must not be expected; the history aims at 'truth' (l. 9), 'chosen truth' (l. 18); and a third time (l. 21) the plea on behalf of the play as 'true' is reiterated. We might well believe that as Twelfth Night had a second title, What you Will, so Henry VIII had originally added to its historical name the sub-title, All is True. 'Now, to let matters of State sleep,' wrote Sir Henry Wotton to his nephew on July 2, 1613, 'I will entertain you at the present with what hath happened this Week at the Banks side. The Kings Players had a new Play, called All is True, representing some principal pieces of the reign of Henry the 8lh, which was set forth with many extraordinary circumstances of Pomp and Majesty, even to the matting of the Stage; the Knights of the Order, with their Georges and Garter, the Guards with their embroidered Coats, and the like; sufficient in truth within a while to make Greatness very familiar, if not ridiculous. Now, King Henry making a Masque at the Cardinal Wolsey'a House, and certain cannons being shot off at his entry, some of the Paper, or other stuff, wherewith one of them was stopped, did light on the Thatch, where being thought at first but an idle smoak, and their eyes more attentive to the show, it kindled inwardly, a...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1153 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library; 1995 Modern Library ed edition (January 24, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679601430
• ISBN-13: 978-0679601432
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,429,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars all verse poorly set, May 7, 2008

By 

James M. Rawley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Histories and Poems of Shakespeare: (A Modern Library E-Book) (Kindle Edition)

It's got to be said somewhere and it might as well be here: Kindle does not handle poetry well. Verse is often set as prose, as in the Kindle stand-alone sonnets of Shakespeare. This edition is much better in that respect, but whenever a verse line is too long to fit on one line, it is set as two lines, both with flush left margins (not the usual practice with verse) or even worse, as three lines, all with flush left margins but the last two very short, one or two words apiece. This is hard to read and unnecessary, an obvious computer glitch. On top of that, the prose passages in this volume, and that includes the very important Falstaff scenes, are set in sets of two alternating lines, one normal length, the other quite short, another obvious computer glitch. ALL KINDLE VERSE BOOKS I'VE SEEN SO FAR HAVE SOME OR ALL OF THESE FAILINGS. The problem is systemic: Kindle can't handle verse yet. The rule would seem to be, don't buy poets on Kindle.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Set, but Limited Commentary, January 26, 2004

By 

richard_t "richard_t" (Overseas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Histories and Poems of William Shakespeare (Hardcover)

It's good to bring together the histories, particularly the eight plays in the Wars of the Roses series along with the sonnets and other poems. This book is not an authoritative academic edition like the Riverside. It has very limited text notes at the end of the book, not easy to navigate and leaving a lot of questions unanswered. It has no introductory or commentary material, either on Shakespeare himself or the histories as a series. The great advantage of this edition is that it's small and light and comprehensive. After all, you don't want to lug the Riverside on an airplane.