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The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition [Hardcover]

William Shakespeare , Stanley Wells , Gary Taylor , John Jowett , William Montgomery
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 1, 2005
Hailed by The Washington Post as "a definitive synthesis of the best editions" and by The Times of London as "a monument to Shakespearean scholarship," The Oxford Shakespeare is the ultimate anthology of the Bard's work: the most authoritative edition of the plays and poems ever published.

Now, almost two decades after the original volume, Oxford is proud to announce a thoroughly updated second edition, including for the first time the texts of The Reign of Edward III and Sir Thomas More, recognizing these two plays officially as authentic works by Shakespeare. This beautiful collection is the product of years of full-time research by a team of British and American scholars and represents the most thorough examination ever undertaken of the nature and authority of Shakespeare's work. The editors reconsidered every detail of the text in the light of modern scholarship and they thoroughly re-examined the earliest printed versions of the plays, firmly establishing the canon and chronological order of composition. All stage directions have been reconsidered in light of original staging, and many new directions for essential action have been added. This superb volume also features a brief introduction to each work as well as an illuminating General Introduction. Finally, the editors have added a wealth of secondary material, including an essay on language, a list of contemporary allusions to Shakespeare, an index of Shakespearean characters, a glossary, a consolidated bibliography, and an index of first lines of the Sonnets.

Compiled by the world's leading authorities, packed with information, and attractively designed, The Oxford Shakespeare is the gold standard of Shakespearean anthologies.

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The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition + Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"State-of-the-art scholarship...has come to stand as the edition of record of Shakespeare's poems and plays."--San Diego Union-Tribune


"Includes stage directions, introductions, and a trove of other scholarly goodies. A beauty."--Library Journal (starred review)


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.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 1344 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2nd edition (August 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0199267170
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199267170
  • Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 2.1 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
(39)
3.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
187 of 200 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Barebones edition (you get what you pay for) August 12, 2005
Format:Hardcover
Anyone wanting to quickly and cheaply collect all 39 of Shakespeare's palys can rely on this edition, an inexpensive, barebones Shakespeare. Those seeking in-depth study should be forewarned, the texts are not annotated at all...even difficult words have to be looked up in the glossary in the back. The typical scholarly introductory materials found in the preface and apendices is largely absent. And to top it off, the type is printed in a dark gray ink, instead of black: not that easy to read. Scholars and students should look elsewhere.

Update: After using this text in the classroom, I would downgrade my rating to one star. The binding is hardcover, but the its quality is inferior. Out of ten students in the course, three had books that were falling apart after just two months.
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51 of 54 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An All-In-One Shakespeare November 9, 2005
Format:Hardcover
This new edition of Oxford's standard anthology of Shakespeare's works has been expanded to include a new general introduction and introduction to each work, an essay on Shakespeare's language, and a new user's guide, among other original features. This favorably reviewed new edition of a classic is a superb way for libraries to provide attractive access to all of Shakespeare's works and introduce these classics to today's readers. (South Texas Library System summary)

For individuals, I'd recommend getting each work in a separate volume, preferably one with more notes on each play. When I studied Shakespeare in college, having an annotated edition really opened up the writing to me.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Good edition of Shakespeare's works November 27, 2006
By Greg
Format:Hardcover
There are many editions of The Bard on the market, some very expensive and others fairly cheap. Students of Shakespeare at the high school or early university level would be better getting the individual play or plays being studied, rather than the entire corpus of Shakespeare, which is very long (about 1500+ pages including the Sonnets), though for serious lovers of literature and English majors, a compilation such as this is pretty much essential.

The Oxford Shakespeare includes all of the main works, the sonnets, and also notes and introductions. If you need to study an individual play, I would recommend getting the Arden Shakespeare or the Oxford Shakespeare series, which have each individual play accompanied with excellent scholarly notes and decent introductions, but this edition is more useful for reading for pleasure (which is easy to do with Shakespeare) or for private study.

This version is fairly accessible and affordable, and worth adding to your collection if you are a fan of Shakespeare.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Oxford Shakespeare
Great price, fast service, the world standard on the subject. I am really pleased with the high quality paper and binding on everyone's favorite author.
Published 6 days ago by Kenneth R Ball
4.0 out of 5 stars Too Posh for me?
I fell for the Oxford edition and like the speaker of the Sonnets relative to the Dark Lady, I was blind to its defects too long. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Edward G. Nilges
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
I bought this book for my sister-in-law for Christmas. The book seems to be well written with much scholarship by the author(s) - a new view of Shakespeare's writing.
Published 1 month ago by T
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
I love how they really talk about Shakespeare's life and the pieces are timeless works of art. Even if you rad it over time, it's a great read.
Published 2 months ago by Leah Hendrix
5.0 out of 5 stars It's just what I was looking for.
I have the 1st ed. and wanted the 2d. It's just what I ordered and I'm waiting to dive in.
Published 3 months ago by Larry Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Present
I bought this gift as a Christmas present. The receiptent was very happy with my gift choice. Yeah - Me.
Published 3 months ago by Janie Arnold
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
What a great volume to add to my library. The price is wonderfully low, the quality is top notch, and it's Shakespeare. Who could ask for anything better?
Published 3 months ago by Gilbert Mitchell Mazaher
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Gift for Any Reader
You can't go wrong with the complete works of Shakespeare. A must-have for any well-read, English-loving writer, reader or poet.
Published 4 months ago by Jack Punchak
4.0 out of 5 stars Shakes for all ages
It has in depth summaries and notes, but it lacks footnotes. The writing is very clear and is close to the original spellings
Published 4 months ago by Jeremy Gates
4.0 out of 5 stars reasonable price
This book was needed for an independent study class-a bit heavy but decent with introductions. Good value for the price. Read more
Published 4 months ago by musicmom
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