I teach third grade in an urban school in a very large district and have used Burdett's version of Hamlet as my sole reading program component for the last 2 months. My students have showed more growth in comprehension, vocabulary, writitng skills and public speaking, than I have ever seen with any other class. Not only has their work showed such growth, but their passion for reading has flourished unbelievably. My class ranges from d's to average b's to high honor roll and every child has grown and every child now loves Shakespeare. The wording that Burdett uses is enjoyable and comprehendable yet challenging enough to keep the educational bar raised without compromising the accuracy and intent of Shakespeare's original version. Burdett also incorporates written material and illustrations by students in her second grade class. This helps the children in my class relate to the book even more. They have developed a thirst for Shakespeare that I enjoy trying to quench everyday. Every child is quoting Shakespeare and reciting soliloquys, and I credit much of that to Burdett and her brilliant writing. I loved this book so much that I have personally purchased her entire series and have displayed them all in my classroom. These books are checked out by students in my class everday. They are by far the most frequently read books in my class. She has truly brought Shakespeare back to life in the classroom and on behalf of my students and myself as well, I thank her. Classic literature is back!!!!!

Prof. Prosser's historical research and insightful analysis of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" are simply marvelous. In her initial historical survey, Prosser succeeds in challenging and overturning many myths and misconceptions about Elizabethan revenge ethics that have caused "Hamlet" to be frequently misunderstood. After her historical review is complete, Prosser then provides an historically-based textual analysis of "Hamlet" which is even more remarkable.

While giving due respect to the theatrical nature of the original play, she interprets the text in a careful, scholarly fashion. In the end, her interpetation of the play is persuasive, comprehensive, and ultimately profound. If anyone wishes to truly understand "Hamlet" in the way that Shakespeare must have intended it (and the way in which Elizabethans must have understod it), "Hamlet and Revenge" is certainly the best book on the market. (Another good book with a similar historical survey is Fredson Bowers' "Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy")

I am a student of Dr Lavender's and the book was on the reading list for his course at the Central School of Speech & Drama. I purchased the book tentatively considering selfish factors such as sales and authorial royalties. However despite this initial reticence and cynicism this is a thoroughly researched and crafted piece of theatrical commentary.

Lavneder focuses on three of the great contemporary theatrical visionaries and places their working methods under a sharlply focused scholarly microscope. His remarks on Brook's working methods are particularly insightful when reading The Shifting Point concurrently.

This is a fine piece of work and one that any student of directing, contemporary theatre practice or indeed Shakespeare would do well to read.

Andy didn't pay me to say write this. Go buy it!

The experienced actor David I. Davies gives readings of 30 soliloquies and scenes from Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Travis Dickerson's resonant music enhances the dramatizations. In addition to all of Hamlet's major soliloquies, Davies does a variety of scenes following the story line of the play and the cast of significant characters. Besides Hamlet, there's Horatio, Polonius, Claudius, and Ophelia. With the sharp expressiveness of Davies' readings, the listener can easily follow the development of the play and the inter-action of the characters.

Davies gives a reading which is true to the original language, yet modern in tone and enunciation. Though the readings are faithful to Shakespeare's language, Davies' pacing and pitch is modern-so the listener follows the dialog as easily as if he or she were listening to persons talking on a TV program, for example. The high technical quality of the recording and the tape also contributes to the favorable listening experience. Because Davies' readings make the play so accessible, "Hamlet One Voice" could be used for classroom or individual student study of the play; although anyone interested in the play or exceptionally controlled and elucidating readings of literature would find this work rewarding.

Henry Berry, reviewer
The Small Press Book Review

The notes in this version make Hamlet easy to understand. Good for students or lovers of Shakespeare. Good if you are having trouble understanding the fancy and difficult language.

William Shapkespeare's Henry V receives a gratifying full-cast narration and production which brings to life the underlying ironies and contrasts inherent in Shakespeare's play. The complete text here has been fully dramatized from the New Cambridge Shakespeare text and is truly outstanding.

Tom Pendleton's collection of essays on Shakespeare's "Henry VI" plays provides interesting and helpful commentary on texts unfamiliar to most readers and audiences. Pendleton's introduction offers perceptive discussion of the plays, their place in Shakespeare's canon, their significance in the Elizabethan period, and their critical fortunes over the centuries. The essays that follow examine the plays from a variety of perspectives, perhaps most interestingly in terms of performance, including Pendleton's own interview with a contemporary actor who performed recently in productions of these plays at the New York Shakespeare Festival. But there is also interesting coverage of filmed versions of the plays and of various critical issues surrounding these earliest of Shakespeare's works.

I don't understand why more people don't read Shakespeare's history plays because they are some of his best work, especially the Henry VI trilogy. Shakespeare's interpretation and manipulation of history drive this trilogy forward and create unique opportunities to judge his skill against the "facts." I loved this trilogy! Not only is it an expert study in human nature (which is Shakespeare's trademark), it is action-packed with never a boring moment. Read it!

Ever read something in Shakespeare and think, "Now what does THAT mean?" She's got the answer. Those little in-jokes are finally explained. "You are a fishmonger." If you think the glover's son from the boondocks wrote the Plays, you'd be in the dark forever as to what Hamlet meant. If you think that the Plays were written by the Earl of Oxford, the answer is plain as day. And so on. A play-by-play exegesis of unexplainable passages; it's as if the Earl himself is explaining "what he meant."

I bought this book from the publisher, via the Shakespeare-Oxford Society. I don't think I paid as much; seek them out.

This book should be in every library in creation. And your personal one.