Young Shakespeare: Volume 1 (Vol 1) [Paperback]

Russell Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1992

This biography of the playwright's first 30 years places him firmly in the setting of Renaissance England and selects various scenes of his life. Numerous quotations from Shakespeare's plays appear throughout the text to illustrate his growth and development.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a puzzle, within a mystery, all wrapped in an enigma." -- Winston Churchill --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

8 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231067658
• ISBN-13: 978-0231067652
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,717,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly Book, Academic Narrator, December 9, 2005

By 

Taylor Rand "samuraijack" (Florida, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Young Shakespeare: Volume 1 (Vol 1) (Paperback)

The AudioFile review of the audio cassette version of this book is spot on: this is not a book for "casual readers" interested in Shakespeare's early life. The book's attention to details, historical figures, poetry and much more is better suited for a relatively serious student of the Bard. I also agree that you'll find little "actual anecdotes" of Shakespeare's life, which is not surprising since it's well-known that his early life and personal life in general are a mystery. Instead, we are presented more of the cultural and social milieu that he must have moved through. The narrator has an academic and dry tone throughout the book - which I found initially offputting - but, like the review says, that may be because "there's nothing involving in the text." I have to admit that I preferred Greenblatt's "Will in the World" but I am a more casual reader.

3.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare, Betwixt and Between, June 21, 2008

By 

James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Young Shakespeare (Audio Cassette)

"Young Shakespeare" tells the story of the life and work of the Bard up to the age of thirty. It draws upon the facts known about his life and, more heavily, on his work up to that age. It also compares Shakespeare's works with those of contemporaries and some who could be considered to be his mentors.

This book is a "betwixt and between" in that it does not cover his life with the detail of some other works, and deals with his works fairly superficially. It does bring out some things which are interesting, such as that his poems were written when the theatres were closed due to the Plague. Unlike some works, this one does not take a thread of fact or suspicion and weave it into a whole theory. Some books will try to draw facts of Shakespeare's life from his works. These attempts I usually view with skepticism. This book does not fall into that trap. Overall this is an interesting work, although there are probably better for both the life of Shakespeare and the placement of his work into history.