As You Like It (The New Folger Library Shakespeare) [Mass Market Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 22, 2004 | Series: The New Folger Library Shakespeare

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Susan Snyder

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Shakespeare was born on April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—their older daughter, Susanna, and the twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood.

The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent, not in Stratford, but in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He had a successful career in London as a playwright and actor and was a shareholder in the acting company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He produced most of his plays between 1589 and 1613. Sometime between 1610 and 1613, Shakespeare is thought to have retired from the stage and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074348486X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743484862
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > Comedy

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.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#37 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics

#37 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A good free version of As You Like It November 17, 2010

By N. Hawkins TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

My appreciation for Shakespearean comedies have increased with age. I liked "As You Like It" - it made for a good comedy and a good introduction for someone to Shakespeare.

The Kindle version is pretty much flawless - it's copied from a good source and doesn't have any glaring transcription errors as some free e-books do.

If you want a good introduction to Shakespeare, or even just want to branch out from his dramatic plays - give it a try. It's a free book - what can go wrong?

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars crazy romantic comedy February 6, 2011

By Nancyhua

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The plot involves a lot of people disguising themselves as the opposite gender but in the end everyone ends up with the one they really love. In that sense it's like a light romantic comedy but it also includes a lot of the great writing that Shakespeare is known for, including many of his most famous lines, such as the "all the world's a stage" monologue, and I hadn't realized this is the play the phrase "motley fool" came from. If you like Shakespeare, this is a must read, and it's entertaining as just a fun play.
This kindle version is well formatted, though no footnotes or line numbers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Basic - Just the Play August 15, 2012

By Patti Baker

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I ordered two copies and received them today, and I will be returning them. This is just the play, with not even a cast of characters. The Look Inside option takes you to a Folger Library version with notes and all the other features you would expect with a Shakespeare play. It did note that the view was from another version, but I assumed it was an updated Folger Library version with the features shown. What's the point of the Look Inside option when it's not representative of the book you're ordering?

If you're only interested in the play, this is a larger sized paperback with good sized print. Nice features, but not enough for me.