This is a great little book. Reading it won't give you a master's degree in Shakespearean studies, but it will give you a quick and interesting overview of many different subjects. The chapters are brief and topical: a discussion of Shakespeare's origins in Stratford, life and politics in Elizabethan England and London's theatres offer a fascinating glimpse into Shakespeare's world and works. The second section of the book, "Documents", looks at some of the primary sources for our understanding of Shakespeare, both documents from Shakespeare's life (a contract, his will, the First Folio), but also writings by those who saw the original plays, discussions of theatrical productions through the ages, and criticism by centuries of academics from John Dryden's 17th century analysis to modern feminist approaches.

The Age of Shakespeare is the perfect weekend read for those who want a bit of context about the plays and their origins. It is informative without being heavy. The dozens of color plates and illustrations are gorgeous, and the writing is intelligent and clear. A wonderful sampler

The book, The Age of Shakespeare, takes my breath away! The many color prints and illustrations add beauty to a informative book. This is a well thought out book about Shakespeare and his times. I really enjoy reading it.

This book is attractive, sturdy and is formatted well. That being said, the content is equally stellar. The author knows a lot about each piece, and provides the background you need to make the character come alive at an audition, or just in your mind for reading. There are footnotes to the language that are useful, and the speeches themselves are constructed nicely and are good choices for any level of Shakespeare performer. MY only complaint, which isn't that important, is that the characters are not studied with as much depth as you would like if you were reading this book for literary pleasure. But it does give this book as an actors guide a sense of poetic freedom and freedom of creativity. Also good is the next volume "MORE Alternative Shakespeare Auditions for Women." Don't expect Juliet scenes or Beatrice monologues--- the "alternative" characters and speeches of Shakespeare get their 15 minutes! Recommended for anyone who has every wanted to be a Shakespeare "snob" at auditions and freshen up your Bard inventory. :O)

I found this book indispencable as an actress. Many auditions call for alternative shakespearian monologues and this book has many good monologues combined with essential study notes.

Stanley is a masterful writer/illustrator when it comes to creating longer picturebook biographies (with heavier text). Her bios on da Vinci, Cleopatra and Shakespeare are fabulous. It amazes me that she has not won a Caldecott Honor yet! I can't wait to see her bio about Michelangelo!

Our family has recently discovered the wonderful Peter Vennema/Diane Stanley biographies. They are vivid, engaging, and thorough, yet short enough for younger readers to sit through (my daughters are 4 and 6). Bard of Avon and Good Queen Bess are our favorites so far, and they go very well together since neither Shakespeare nor Queen Elizabeth would have been the same without the other. Unlike other histories or biographies for children, this book makes a destinction between what we know about Shakespeare's life and times and what are only guesses. It is nice for children to see that the study of history is not just memorizing facts and dates, but piecing together clues in the context of what is known about a time period. As a former high school English teacher, I wish that I had had this book when I was teaching Shakespeare plays because it would have been a wonderful introduction.

This is a very informative book. I liked it very much because it tells us information on the food of the Elizabethan age. It also has numerous recipes, that are easy to follow. I used this book to do a report, and i got most of my information on it. It tells the rituals, diet, and other little tidbits of information. It is very hard to find good information on the food and drink of the Elizabethan age in many books, muchless one thick book. this bok has all of the information you would ever need on the food and drink of the Elizabethan age.

This is a very informative book. I liked it very much because it tells us information on the food of the Elizabethan age. It also has numerous recipes, that are easy to follow. I used this book to do a report, and i got most of my information on it. It tells the rituals, diet, and other little tidbits of information. It is very hard to find good information on the food and drink of the Elizabethan age in many books, muchless one thick book. this bok has all of the information you would ever need on the food and drink of the Elizabethan age.

For someone who needed a reintroduction to Shakespeare after more than forty years absence, this book proved to be a very pleasant surprise. Not only did it live up to its title but it also contained an interesting chapter on Shakespeare's major poetry. The short biography of Shakespeare and the entries on Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh were all excellent.

When you buy a book like this, you expect a quick reference and not much more. This book has reference with depth. It familiarizes you with the plots and characters, of course. But it goes further and puts them in context with Shakespeare's time and with his other works. Some of the most useful information is about the source texts Shakespeare used and where some of the names and words he used originated (sometimes he made them up. ie: Jessica.) This adds so much to the enjoyment of seeing the plays performed, as well as reading them. While not comprehensive, it packs a lot of useful information in a size convenient to carry with you to a play. If, like me, you have already fallen in love with the bard's words, you will still find this book handy. If you are new to Shakespeare, this book can make you feel that his plays are more accessible.

In this book, the sequel to The Adventures of Blue Avenger, Blue continues his journey to stop crime and corruption. His adventures take him from Oakland, California to Venice, Italy, and along the way he meets many new friends. The entire plot is tangled with the mystery of weather William Shakespeare famous shakespearian plays. Many think that Edward De Vere, an english Earl, was the actual author. So can Blue find enough evidense to prove that Edward De Vere really did write the Shakespearian plays? Or while trying to prove that Edward De Vere wrote them, will he prove that William Shakespeare Reallyh wrote the Shakespearian plays? Read this great book to find out! Hope you like the book!

In this book, the sequel to The Adventures of Blue Avenger, Blue continues his exploits to save humanity from crime and corruption. His adventures take him from Oakland, California, to Venice, Italy, and along the way he meets many new friends. This book has many more characters than the first, which makes it even more interesting. The entire plot is intertwined with the mystery of whether or not William Shakespeare really wrote the famed Shakespearean plays. Many conjecture that Edward De Vere, an English earl, was actually the author of Shakespeare's plays. Although this book wasn't as funny as the first, the mystery makes it an even better book. Both books in the series are quick reads, but well worth the time for anyone, especially teenage readers.

I purchased this book because I was attracted to it and I intended to put it away until I could pull together an interesting unit study on Shakespeare. However, my two boys (7 and 9) could not stand to go to bed without me reading it to them first!! They were instantly attracted to artworks and writing done by kids their age and wouldn't let me pass a single page without reading everything! They enjoyed finding the spelling errors and I was certainly surprised at how many they caught, as I am sure they would've made many of the same ones. My boys asked, after reading the book, if we could study Shakespeare for school THIS week! Yikes, I have got some quick planning to do. This is a wonderfully inspiring leaping off point for a trip into the world of Shakespeare. At the end of the book, one of my sons said it well, "Hey mom, he wrote drama and he lived drama, too!" I think they got it.

How many people really know the details of Shakespeare's life! Find out in this well-done, rhyming text filled with kids illustrations and "letters" and "documents". For example: one child crafts Shakespeare's will...very interesting! Lois Burdett is a genius! Perfect for teaching about Shakespeare - for kids and adults! Buy It!

This book is undoubtedly one of the best exposures to Shakespeare for children. My eight year old daughter loved it so much she brought it to school and shared it with the class. Her teacher found a copy and made it part of his curriculum. Parents were delighted and tried to find their own copies. I must say this was back in 1978! I have recommended this book over the years to numerous young parents who cannot find this wonderful book. Very sad. To not have this book would be like missing "Pat The Bunny" or "Good Night Moon".

This book and its amazing illustrations will expose your children (and yourself) to the wonderful world of Shakespeare. Several of Shakespeares best known plays are retold as stories, without the complicated language. Bernard Miles is able to weave these tales so well that you get completely drawn into the characters and the time. Reading these as a kid (the stories are long, probably best for 12 and up) gave me an interest in Shakespeare and help me to understand them when I read or saw them as plays. Don't miss an opportunity to get a copy of this book!

The tragedy of Titus Andronicus is my favourite work by Billy Shakes (high school kids thought that one up and I like it, shows affection). When we think of Shakespearean Tragedy we constantly drag the same tired old Lear, Hamlet & MacBeth in and prop them up on the carpet. Complete Works will also bring to your acquaintance Coriolanus and the Andronici. Maybe it is me, but I have never considered Romeo & Juliet a tragedy, I see it as more of a Romance, a bad one, but a Romance just the same. My advice is to buy the book NOW and only read the sections that you are unfamilliar with. Save the others for cold nights with warm fires both of which are the optimum mediums for becoming re-acquainted with old friends.

This is an extremely useful volume. Brings together all thirteen of Shakespeare's tragedies, more readable than the bulky "collected works" volumes with tiny type; includes fifty pages of text notes and a fifty page glossary of unfamiliar usages.

Not only does Tom Stoppard brilliantly compress one of Shakespeare's longer plays into 15 minutes, he even adds on a 2 minute encore!! A hilarious edition of one of Shakespeare's lasting works. A great play for a cast to perform (trust me, I know!). Loads of fun to read AND perform.

This is a little known but great play. It is not so much that the actual wording is so good, in fact, any cast looking at this would think that it is gut-wrenchingly stupid. It is all in the presentation. Shakespeare's longest play ever... cut down into fifteen minutes. Who needs the rest anyway?