William Shakespeare Complete Works Second Edition by William Shakespeare (PDF)

Description

The newly revised, wonderfully authoritative First Folio of Shakespeare’s Complete Works, edited by acclaimed Shakespearean scholars Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen and endorsed by the world-famous Royal Shakespeare CompanyCombining cutting-edge textual editing, superb annotations and commentary, a readable design, and bonus features for students, theater professionals, and general readers, this landmark edition sets a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century and features 48 pages of new material.Edited by a brilliant team of “younger generation” Shakespearean scholars from the First Folio originally assembled by Shakespeare’s own acting company, this edition of the “Complete Works” corrects centuries of errors and textual variations that have evolved since the book’s publication in 1623, and includes modern glossaries designed for twenty-first-century readers and new editorial stage directions clearly distinguished from Folio directions.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Handsome RSC Shakespeare gives us the first folio plus the poems but the volume is HUMONGOUS and the print very small–youneed a magnifying glass to read. I recommend the 1st edition–which I give 5 stars.

⭐This is a review of the ebook version of “William Shakespeare Complete Works Second Edition” which evaluates how well it delivers (or makes easily accessible) the content to the user. The user is assumed to be a non-specialist who is working through a play act by act and scene by scene, and who depends upon good navigation within the play to jump occasionally to a previous scene for clarification or to the introduction or “key facts” or list of parts or textual notes. Or the user is in a class where they are asked to go to a particular scene of a play or to a sonnet for discussion.The second edition of the ebook is little different from the first. Some formatting changes are line numbers on the right instead of left (and for all lines now, not just verse), and square brackets around footnote superscripts. The latter makes for a larger hotspot so that it’s easier to touch and activate the link. Also, stage directions like entrances and exits are in a reduced font and thus less intrusive to the flow of speech. As in the first edition, there is no list of the first lines of sonnets with a link to the sonnet, although this is apparently a failing of the printed book too and of the individual edition of the sonnets.Unlike printed books, ebooks that follow best practices provide a wealth of techniques for the user to navigate around the book, and they present the content in helpful ways that print usually does not. For example, each scene and each sonnet will start at the top of the page, not just anywhere on the page as in print, so that the reader can immediately focus on the item at hand and–in the case of sonnets–see the entire one without going to the next page or getting distracted by bits of the preceding or following one. There will be a quick link to every scene within every play, and to every sonnet by number and by first line. The TOC will link to the list of parts and to the critical apparatus for quick reference when needed. Most ereaders show the progress within a scene (e.g., “page 4 of 12”), which is useful when working gradually through a play scene by scene, speech by speech, footnote by footnote.How well does this ebook implement the best practices? Poorly, or not at all, even. Hence my low rating, which I will modify whenever I receive an improved version.The only TOC links for plays and sonnets are to the beginning of each play and to the beginning of the Sonnets section. There are no links to the individual scenes or the meta-information sections within a play, or to the individual sonnets. To get to a particular scene of a play you have to scroll an incalculable number of times from the beginning (or backward from the following play if your target scene is late in the play). You can only get to a sonnet by scrolling an incalculable number of times from the beginning of the Sonnets section (or backward from the following section if your target sonnet is later in the collection). The scenes of a play (even when beginning a new act) will begin anywhere on the page, even by chance on the bottom line. Similarly for sonnets which can be split across pages and you have to scroll forward and back to read the sonnet, contending with pieces of the preceding or following one and prevented from seeing it in its entirety. (Some ereaders provide an option to scroll down in such cases, though this is an unnatural action in a book and inconsiderate of an ebook publisher.) Since the TOC only points to the start of a play, ereaders treat the entire play as a “chapter” in their progress indicator, and you have no perspective of your position within a scene, which is your main focus in a session. Knowing you’re on “page 23 of 63” is not as helpful as “4 of 12”.Woe to the user who accidentally jumps to some other location in this ebook, say by following a footnote without taking precautions for returning to the original location. With luck you may recall that you were in Act 3 Scene 4 (or on Sonnet 78), but it will require a lot of scrolling if your only TOC link is to the beginning of the play (or the beginning of the Sonnets section).The publisher has produced an ebook that deprives the user of every best practices facility for making the most convenient and productive use of it.

⭐William Shakespeare Complete Works is a good read.It is paired with The Complete ArkAngel Shakespeare (cd).

⭐This is, naturally, a huge volume. It is beautifully illustrated and annotated. I keep it out, not as a typical “coffee table” book, but because it is so beautiful and inviting to both look at and to read as time and desire prompt one.

⭐The first edition of this CW was great. My hope was that the 2nd edition would be stellar. Where it went wrong is the increased size (cut of paper and covers), increased weight, increased amount of photography of past RSC productions (why is this useful for any serious reader? This should be saved for a section of the RSC website alone), and worst of all is reduced font size. The legibility is seriously tough, and I’m in my 30’s with excellent eyesight. The one thing this edition made better was employing two gold ribbon markers, as opposed to none in the first printing of the 1st edition, followed by one ribbon in subsequent printings of the 1st edition. Overall? Such a shame. As Shakespeare lovers, actors, theatre makers…we don’t need more bulk and glitz. We need clarity, simplicity, grace, and function.

⭐This is the best Complete Shakespeare you will find anywhere. Besides a superb text, a lot of valuable editorial material and some beautiful photos of past RSC productions.And well printed on good quality paper. This is a book which will outlast your great-grandchildren. It can indeed be regarded as the successor to the First Folio. Not cheap but good value.The Preface is a bit over the top, trying to insert too much of our time into the Bard, but I forgive that!

⭐Handsome copy.

⭐Very clear text, good font, well presented, I like this edition for study. The paper is not the best, little grey, thin and a bit rough, like recycled paper, not my favorite, but fits all in one volume. I needed an easy font to read, and it does the job.

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