World of Shakespeare: The Complete Plays and Sonnets of William Shakespeare (38 Volume Library)
by William Shakespeare
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Book Summary Information
Author: William ShakespeareEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2006-05
ISBN: 0143104802
Publisher: Penguin
Book Reviews of World of Shakespeare: The Complete Plays and Sonnets of William Shakespeare (38 Volume Library)
Book Review: Very much worth the investment - IF you're already initiated
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a non-native speaker of English who have been struggling to get into Shakespeare's language for a while. My method so far has been reading translations along with the original (over the internet and in Penguin books) and ensuing the aid of "no fear Shakespeare", Sparknotes and other internet resources, plus the glossary "Shakespeare Words", which I also bought from Amazon. Only after struggling through several plays I felt I was ready to take one and just read it with the help of only the most essential notes.
I thought this complete works would be perfect to finish my Shakespeare education, and it looks like it is. The print is very neat, the notes are convenientely marked, the binding and the cover are very solid, and it definitely looks very well on the bookshelf. They just invite you to look at it and think "Oh, I think I'll spend the weekend with Troilus and Cressida".
I should note, however, that the notes and introductions are NOT detailed enough to get the completely uninitiated through the language and historical references. I recommend that people buy some cheap editions of the most famous plays first and take advantage of the aforementioned internet resources. Otherwise, one can get a little frustrated at not being ready to just take one of those very nice looking books and read it. That is even more true for the sonnets.
Once you feel confortable with the basic language, however, it is very much worth the investment. The conver protect the books very well, and the collection may make into the list of the few books your grandchildren will want to keep when they give away most of your library. All the plays are here, even the least appreciated co-authored(though not the probabley spurious Edward III), and who is to say that one day, once you know the most famous works well, you won't feel like completing the works with "King John" or the entire tetralogies? Trust me, you do not get that enthusiasm when you have the complete works in a single volume. Those are good to brace the leg of the table, as a friend of mine accurately noted.
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