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William Shakespeare

G. Blakemore Evans

Shakespeare's Sonnets (Folger Shakespeare Library) Mass Market Paperback – February 1, 2004

by William Shakespeare (Author)

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A bestselling, beautifully designed edition of William Shakespeare’s sonnets, complete with valuable tools for educators.

The authoritative edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:

-Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on the facing page of each sonnet
-A brief introduction to each sonnet, providing insight into its possible meaning
-An index of first lines
-Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the sonnets

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, 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 Folger.edu.

Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

February 1, 2004
Dimensions

4.19 x 0.8 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

0671722875
ISBN-13

978-0671722876
Lexile measure

NP
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in 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—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Research emerita at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Consulting Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare’s Romances and of essays on Shakespeare’s plays and their editing.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at the Graduate School and at King’s University College at Western University. He is a general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and author of Early Modern Playhouse Manuscripts and the Editing of Shakespeare and of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare’s plays.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (February 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671722875
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671722876
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ NP
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 0.8 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #453,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #375 in British & Irish Poetry
- #418 in British & Irish Dramas & Plays
- #425 in Shakespeare Dramas & Plays

Customer Reviews:
853 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		81%
4 star		7%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		4%

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Reinold F.

Shakespeare never fails to impress. (AmazonClassics Edition)

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Poetry is not much my cup of tea, I gave this book a try because Shakespeare work is astonishing. His work makes our reality richer than the worlds imagined in previous and posterior mythology. I started the book thinking it at first just poems about love, but there is a story, with deep observations and intense feelings. They make you feel, without filters, love as if you yourself were feeling it. You can open a Shakespeare book not knowing what to expect but it ends being spectacular.

About the AmazonClassics edition you cannot find better ones for books written in English and without drawings. They have the useful X-Ray, impeccable formatting, modern typography and clean of misspellings. Other advantage is that it has not studies by intellectuals, prefaces nor introductions, only a biography of few words at the end about the author. The book is as pure as if it had been written this morning; the only defect is the reader, as I have not enough knowledge of poetry to notice, beyond evident rhyme and alliteration, the poetic structure donned by Shakespeare.

13 people found this helpful

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Ms. Shy Funnybones

I Love This Folger Shakespeare Version of the Sonnets!

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Since reviews for various editions of Shakespeare's sonnets are lumped together on Amazon, I'll begin by saying that I am reviewing Shakespeare's Sonnets (Folger Shakespeare Library) published on Aug.16, 2016, and selling today for $4.99, and I am reading it on my Kindle Keyboard. I am very, very pleased with this version! All the links work well, the font is clear and attractive, and the formatting is just fine.

When you go to the Table of Contents, you will see that the edition begins with the following commentary: the Editor's Preface; Shakespeare's Sonnets; Reading Shakespeare's Language: The Sonnets; Shakespeare's Life; An Introduction to the Text.

Then you will see the sonnets themselves: Text of the Poems With Commentary. Each sonnet can be accessed individually by an active link, and each has links throughout the text with annotations. I like being able to just click on a phrase or word as I am reading in order to access extremely helpful commentary.

After the individual sonnets, you will see the following listed: Two Sonnets from The Passionate Pilgrim; Longer Notes; Textual Notes; Appendix of Intertextual Material; Shakespeare's Sonnets: A Modern Perspective by Lynne Magnusson; Further Reading; Index of Illustrations (there are many, and each has an active link which will take you to it); Index of First Lines.

I looked at many versions on Amazon before making my selection. True, there are others which cost just one or two dollars, but they lack access to each individual sonnet and/or textual annotations. They don't have all the other interesting material included here. If you want to read the sonnets on your Kindle, you really can't do better than The Folger Shakespeare.

14 people found this helpful

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Jeff

Some of the Best Poems in the Language

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021

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It is remarkable to see Shakespeare in action purely as a poet. The Sonnets are well worth reading for anyone. They are great poems, have some of the most memorable lines in the language, and there is something intriguing and gripping about the sequence. I think anyone who loves poetry should read all of Shakespeare’s sonnets at least once.

This is a good edition, very readable and accessible. My only complaint is I wish it included more of Shakespeare’s poetry. Including A Lover’s Complaint (which was including in the original publication) would have been nice, and including Shakespeare’s other poetry would have been great. Still, good edition.

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

I think this edition is best used for its excellent glossary. The print size is relatively small and line spacing is close, making notations to the actual sonnets difficult. I found myself reading the Vendler edition, which has spacious margins and generous room in between lines, along with incredible commentary on the poetics of the sonnets, and using this edition for glosses.

One person found this helpful

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papercup

Nice.

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

This version is very easy to read and feels like a quality-made book. My only complaint is how big it is. It's almost like reading a magazine. I wish it were smaller, such as the size of a paperback dime store book. All in all, it's nice.

2 people found this helpful

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Ravindra M.R.S.Naidu

An excellent book indeed

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2017

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It is there, the sonnets, all for one to relish the words that ooze with their meaninsg. Wha is missing is the intrepretations....perhaps, the books intends to present the originals and origal as possible, leaving the meanigs and imagery to formed as the readers visualise. An excellent book indeed.

4 people found this helpful

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PJH

One of the Best book on Shakespeare's Sonnet series.

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

Quite a bit of detail in this book. What I don't like is the breaking up of the 14 lines sonnets from one page to the next. I like to see the whole sonnet as a block. I know the 1609 quarto did that and it is reproduced in this text opposite the modern printing. I like to see them , one per page with wide margins. This is a personal preference and it is a minor factor in judging the book. Judge the content for yourself..

Helpful

Steve G

The covers are also beautiful, but the play on the right

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

I'm a fan of the layout of Folger Shakespeare Library. The covers are also beautiful, but the play on the right, explanation of archaic terms on the left style is very helpful to the reader and makes getting into Shakespeare much easier.

The book of Sonnets is a great addition to any Shakespeare collection. Beautifully written by the master.

11 people found this helpful

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Derek Vernon-morris

Shakespear at One's fingertips.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

The very reasonable cost of this eBook is remarkable. All the Sonnets at the flick of a finger - humour, sadness, and common sense. Many are familiar and often quoted, but it is good to have the complete versions and read them again in context to each other as a reminder of the genius behind them
The paperback version is also excellent, and on this, the rather dubious cover including a skull, is very pertinent to the recurring themes, of reproducing, ageing and death.

3 people found this helpful

Chris West

Definitive edition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

Well, of course Bill gets five stars for his sonnets. But five stars for this edition, which is the perfect companion to them. Some essays set the scene, then each sonnet is presented with copious notes, to help 21st century readers really delve into the meanings of these words and lines written centuries ago.

As a young man I was rather snooty about analyzing poetry. Shouldn't it just zap you and amaze you? Doesn't analysis rather spoil it? But this edition gives the lie to such naivety. The more you understand, the more you enjoy.

One person found this helpful

Adrian Cooke

Messily presented

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

I would have expected the sonnets to be set out in the format of one per page but unfortunately they are arranged quite messily which spoils the enjoyment of reading them: if I had looked at this in a bookshop I would not have bought it

2 people found this helpful

Dukey_Howser

Enjoyable version of Shakespeare's sonnets

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

Good quality, good value version. There are probably better ones out there if you want to own a special version, and the sonnets can be found online for free if you're not concerned about owning the collection in paperback. But a good, middle ground option.

2 people found this helpful

Lukaina

Comentario sobre la edición de The collector's library y el autor

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2012

Verified Purchase

La temática de los sonetos de William Shakespeare va más allá del amor cortés y toca temas como el sexo, la política y las rivalidades literarias. Shakespeare no innovó en cuanto a forma, pues el verso llamado "shakesperiano" no fue invención suya, pero si lo hizo en el tratamiento de los temas, como podemos apreciar en el soneto número 130 con una descripción de su amada que se haya lejos del ideal de la madona de Petrarca, o en el soneto número uno, donde se compara el amor con el hambre.
Ríos de tinta se han vertido sobre las figuras que se encuentran detrás de los misteriosos "fair youth" y "dark lady", se ha querido ver en ellos a personalidades de la época como William Herbet, a quien dedicó alguna de sus primeras obras, o a Henrey Wriothesley como el joven misterioso y como la dama terrible a Emilia Lanier o a Mary Fitton, pero como otros muchos detalles de la vida del autor, existen más teorías que certezas.

La edición que nos ocupa hoy es de reducido tamaño, el justo para albergar un soneto en cada página, con una primorosa presentación: tapa dura, con un punto de lectura en escarlata y filigrana dorada en su papel de biblia. Perfecto para contener poemas. La única pega que se le puede encontrar es lo suave del papel y la falta de anotaciones, pero para ello es más recomendable adquirir una edición como las de Arden.

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