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Shakespeare Materials

It would be interesting to know how much those who claim Shakespeare didn't write his own plays are motivated by jealousy. Many writers are jealous of ol' Billy—he's the one author universally recognized as the best ever. Most, however, rejoice that such literary magic was distilled for subsequent generations by an alchemist of less-than-noble origins and obscure life.

The idea that Shakespeare didn't write Shakespeare was around before the movie Anonymous. Critics point out that Willy Shakes knew a lot about the world for one who'd never left England (did he, though? he didn't know his geography very well), that he was well-versed in the ways of the English Court for a common man, or that an uneducated bumpkin from Stratford-upon-Avon couldn't produce a body of work that transcends the volumes of "superior" writers.

Shakespeare ended his days as a businessman in his hometown, away from the chaos, mud and spectacle of London. Is that how a great writer would end his days? What about the mystery of his handwriting? was he illiterate? if he could read and write, wouldn't there be more than a few signatures and some misspelled words? At first glance, the evidence seems compelling to attribute "Shakespeare's" work elsewhere, to the Earl of Oxford, Sir Francis Bacon, or some cadre of playwrights.

The reasons for finding another author for Shakespeare are more related to worldview than personal motives. Postmodernists like to obscure authorship in an effort to show that standards and absolutes are human constructs; modernists (and postmodernists) like to impose contemporary values on the past. The latter is a big motivating factor in the Shakespeare debate: Elizabethans had no concept of ownership when it came to texts, but most higher critics suppose they did.

There's no substantial reason to believe William Shakespeare was not the source of the plays attributed to him. What is absolutely certain is that no one before or since has so thoroughly captured the scope of the human predicament, or done so half as well as the Bard of Avon. His poetry lies between biblical oracle and Miltonian pedantry; his prose the most poetic lines penned by a seller of wheat (or a nobleman, for that matter).

Good literary education often begins with Shakespeare. A lot of it ends there, too. So much modern fiction is unreadable because writers don't look far enough back for inspiration; a few generations ago, writers read Homer, Milton, Shakespeare and Dickens. A noble company, ironically helmed by a commoner with less education than those who call themselves scholars in his name. We carry most of his plays, and a variety of resources to help you understand them. Remember that Shakespeare's plots are borrowed and recycled; it's the genius of expression that sets his work apart.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
 
There are many, many editions of Shakespeare's plays, and if they're beautiful and in good shape, we'll take almost any version that passes our desk, but there are only so many useful versions that are fairly readily available for study purposes. We wanted to give you a quick rundown on those we often offer.
 
  • Folger Library - Our favorite series to carry and the only one for which we offer ALL the plays, these books offer Shakespeare's text on one page, with definitions for difficult words on the facing page. Some people complain that the formatting is cramped, but that is certainly less the case in the trade paper versions, the only ones now in print.
  • Oxford School Library - These are very nice, spacious, good notes and occasionally illustrated with photographs from Shakespeare performances. Main issue with these is they are often not readily available.
  • Dover Thrift Editions - A decent cheaper option. The formatting is definitely more crampted than others and the notes are harder to read at the bottom of each page.
  • No Fear Shakespeare - This version offers the original text on one page and a modernized text on the facing page. Main complaint is that sexual passages are often more explicit than necessary in the retelling, so it's one we'd recommend avoiding for kids.
  • Barron's Shakespeare Made Easy - This version also offers the original text on one page and a modernized text on the facing page. Haven't heard the same complaint about explicit text in these.
  • Pelican Shakespeare - We haven't ordered these in a while, but these are well-crafted editions. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare’s time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used. Similar in price to the Folger, these feature artsy covers and take up less shelf space. 
  • Illustrated Shakespeare
  • Shakespeare Can Be Fun
 
 
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Complete works of Shakespeare online
Which Shakespeare Play Should I See?
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All the World's A Stage
by William Shakespeare
from Fulcrum Group
for 4th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
All the World's a Stage
by Rebecca Piatt Davidson, illustrated by Anita Lobel
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
As You Like It - MP Student Guide
from Memoria Press
for 8th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.95 $9.00 (2 in stock)
As You Like It - MP Teacher Guide
from Memoria Press
for 8th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Brush Up Your Shakespeare!
by Michael Macrone
2nd edition from Gramercy Books
for 9th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Complete Guide to Shakespeare's Best Plays
by Aileen M. Carroll
2 Revised
for 9th-12th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Sonnets
Dover Thrift Editions
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
Lyrical Poetry for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.83 $1.60 (2 in stock)
Fandex: Shakespeare
from Workman Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Favorite Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Donald Lynch
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Hamlet
The Pelican Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
from Penguin Putnam
Tragedy for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Hamlet - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Bethine Ellie
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 9th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LITSG-PP)
$27.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Histories of Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare, edited by Peter Alexander and illustrated by John Farleigh
from Heritage Press
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Julius Caesar
Ignatius Critical Editions
by William Shakespeare, edited by Joseph Pearce
from Ignatius Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Julius Caesar (No Fear Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare
Study Guide ed. from Sparknotes
for 9th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Julius Caesar With Reader's Guide - Set
by William Shakespeare, Helene Cunningham
from Amsco School Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
King Richard III
Cambridge School Shakespeare Series
by William Shakespeare
from Cambridge University
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Macbeth - MP Student Guide
by David M. Wright
from Memoria Press
for 8th-10th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.95 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Macbeth - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Rebecca Gilleland
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 9th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LITSG-PP)
$27.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Me and Shakespeare
by Herman Gollob
from Doubleday & Company
for Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Merchant of Venice - Guide CD
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Bethine Ellie
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 9th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Interactive CDs (Location: LITSG-PPCD)
$14.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Much Ado About Nothing for Kids
Shakespeare Can Be Fun
by Lois Burdett
from Firefly Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Othello
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Othello
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Playing Shakespeare
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Pop-Up Shakespeare
by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, illustrated by Jennie Maizels
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare Made Easy
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$5.94 $3.60 (2 in stock)
Romeo and Juliet - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Bethine Ellie
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 9th-12th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LITSG-PP)
$27.99 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Romeo and Juliet - The Young Reader's Shakespeare
by Adam McKeown (Retold by), illustrated by Peter Fiore
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare for Kids
by Colleen Aagesen & Margie Blumberg
from Chicago Review Press
Shakespeare Reference/Activity Book for 4th-7th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$19.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare in Three Steps: As You Like It
by Rebekah Shafer
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 2nd-12th grade
in Simply Charlotte Mason (Location: CUR-SCM)
$19.50 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare in Three Steps: Midsummer Night's Dream
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 2nd-12th grade
in Simply Charlotte Mason (Location: CUR-SCM)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stealer
Shakespeare Stealer #1
by Gary Blackwood
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stories - 4 in 1
by William Shakespeare (original stories), retold by Andrew Matthews, illustrated by Tony Ross
from Silver Dolphin
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stories - Boxed Set
by William Shakespeare, Andrew Matthews (reteller), illustrated by Tony Ross
from Parfait Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$36.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stories II
by Leon Garfield
1st American Ed from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Stories: Tragedies
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare Timeline Wallbook
by Christopher Lloyd, illustrated by Andy Forshaw
from What on Earth Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Othello
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Spy
Shakespeare Stealer #3
by Gary Blackwood
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$5.94 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Storybook
from Barefoot Books
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare: The World As Stage
by Bill Bryson
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$15.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Stories From Shakespeare
by Nicola Baxter, illustrated by Jenny Thorne
from Armadillo Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
Puffin Classics
by Charles & Mary Lamb
from Puffin Books
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles and Mary Lamb, introduction by Marina Warner
from Penguin Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$11.90 $6.40 (2 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Richard Armour
from Living Book Press
for 7th-12th grade
$11.89 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare
by Tina Packer & Co.
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Tales from Shakespeare - Guide
by Matt Whitling
from Logos School
for 5th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Teaching Shakespeare: Yes You Can!
by Lorraine Hopping Egan
from Scholastic Professional Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Tempest
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Tempest, The
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
by William Shakespeare
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Ten Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb
from Dover Publications
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Three Tragedies: Julius Caesar/Hamlet/ MacBeth
Great Illustrated Classics
by William Shakespeare
from Dodd, Mead & Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Twelfth Night OSI
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
Comedy for 8th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.60 (2 in stock)
Usborne World of Shakespeare
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Shakespeare Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne World of Shakespeare
by Anna Claybourne, Rebecca Treays
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Will in the World
by Stephen Greenblatt
1st edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Young Shakespeare
by Tony Bonning, illustrated by Gillian Alexander
from Waverly Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
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