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An addition to a popular nonfiction series presents the life and work of the English playwright William Shakespeare and provides information about the theater of sixteenth-century London.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

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146 people want to read

About the author

Peter Chrisp

174 books8 followers
Peter Chrisp is a British children's author of books on history. With over sixty books published, his various works include Blitzkrieg!, Dorling Kindersly's Ancient Egypt Revealed and Ancient Rome Revealed, The Spanish Conquests of the New World, and many more.

He first began writing history after working on the Mass-Observation archive at the University of Sussex. He has also worked as a writer on the online project "Icons of England".

Aside from his publications in literature, he is also an artist, who has exhibited collections of his cartoons and hand-drawn postcards during Brighton Festival. He is an inveterate theatre- and concert-goer, and during the Edinburgh Festival regularly views three shows a day. He collects original art works, and is a fan of Eric Ravilious and Jonny Hannah among others.

At present, Mr. Chrisp acts as one of Brighton's cultural attaches to Lewes. This is believed to be largely an honorary position. He is also being talked of as a possible future Mayor of Brighton.

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Julie Lamb.
10 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2013
Book Title: Eyewitness Books: Shakespeare by Peter Chrisp

Short Description of the Book: In this book, everything is covered on William Shakespeare from his birth to childhood years to entertainment to work and to his legacy. All of the vital information is broken down and takes you through his life scene by scene.

FOCUS: Informational Features I would use in a Mini-Lesson:

1) Since the new Common Core Standards dictate that every English classroom covers William Shakespeare, it would be neat to use this book to get a brief history of the man. Because students have met Shakespeare every year, as a teacher, you don’t want to be redundant in information and this book would be a brief blurb. After discussing the history of William Shakespeare, we could move into our lessons on sonnets, analyzing them line by line, and then trying our hand at writing our own sonnets.

TEACH: Common Core Standards: English Language Arts (Grades 11-12)

W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

1. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
2. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
3. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
4. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
5. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
6. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

EXPECTED OUTCOMES: I hope students will learn how to appreciate the history of William Shakespeare, analyze his sonnets, and then attempt to write their own and share with the class for Reader’s Chair.
Profile Image for Molly.
232 reviews17 followers
December 31, 2017
Lovely book with pages worth lingering over. Engaging illustrations and the information presented is fairly insightful, but there can always be more (and better details). Fun to share with kids.
Profile Image for Kaethe.
6,572 reviews533 followers
abandoned
July 16, 2014
The KitKatPandaBatWolf was interested in biography, so this is one I picked out for her. We started it last night, but I very soon found myself questioning the text. It said boys and girls in Stratford in Shakespeare's day started school at four to learn to read. I don't firmly know that it's wrong, but it seems wrong. I thought most girls were kept illiterate then.

And then it said something about university for politicians, lawyers, doctors and clergy and teachers, but I thought doctors and lawyers were trained via apprenticeships at the time, and that university was still mostly limited to clergy and nobles.

Again, I don't know that it's wrong, but it doesn't feel quite right. Teachers? Really?
Profile Image for صفاء أنيس.
72 reviews11 followers
June 12, 2014
أسمعتهم يقولون الكتب آلة زمن
هذا ما عايشته مع هذا الكتاب شعرت أنني سافرت إلى لندن في القرن السادس عشر وعشت مع شكسبير حياته
الكتاب موسوعة جميلة ليس لشكسبير فقط وإنما لتلك الفترة الزاهية من تاريخ لندن فترة الملكة اليزابيت الاولى (مشاهدت فيلم إليزابيت العصر الذهبي مفيد جدا لمعرفة تاريخ تلك الفترة كما أنه فيلم رائع ) ... حيث شهدت لندن أزدهار في كثير من نواحي الثقافة

الكتاب يحتوي على الكثير من المعلومات الدقيقة عن تفاصيل الحياة اليومية لذلك العصر مثل الملابس والموسيقى والأثاث وغيرها مما يساعدك كثيرا على تخيل الأحداث وأنت تقرأ
تسألت كثيراا لماذا لم نهتم نحن بمثل هذه التفاصيل من تاريخنا قد لا يكون الأمر مهم لكنه يساعد حقا في معرفة ثقافة الناس ومدى إهتمامهم بأدق التفاصيل في حياتهم

Profile Image for Lacey Bolen.
38 reviews
May 9, 2015
I think this book is great for the classroom and to be used as not only an informational text but also simply as reading for fun. I think the layout of these books (mixture of real pictures and small groups of information). This is also a great book for learning/practicing who to use an index. This book would go best in an upper elementary (3-5 grade) classroom and could be used during an Language Arts unit or for a research project (similar to the ones I mentioned previously). Overall, I really like the books from this company because they do a great job of organizing the information in an effective way as well as including a good amount of pictures to support the text.
Profile Image for StrangeBedfellows.
581 reviews37 followers
December 11, 2012
��I've never seen any other books from this series, but I found this to be a fun book to go through. The images are great and interesting to look at. The information is substantial enough to be informative without being overwhelming. I think children and maybe even older sets would have fun with this.
Profile Image for Cynthia Egbert.
2,682 reviews39 followers
October 9, 2015
There were occasional facts that I didn't necessarily agree with fully but on the whole this offers a decent look into Shakespeare's world. If you want some nice visuals for yourself or you have children who have an interest or that you want to share some literary history with, this is a great beginning.
Profile Image for Jacob.
1,722 reviews7 followers
September 1, 2016
Public library copy.
I read this book while my daughter was at a 2-hour Hunger Games party at our nearby library. The book is rich with historical facts and has plenty of visual aides on every page so anyone can see what life was like during Shakespeare's lifetime.
Profile Image for Lori.
Author 2 books22 followers
December 24, 2011
This is a nice read to get a visual and print overview of Shakespeare's life and works. I appreciate the DK Eyewitness books. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Bethe.
6,928 reviews69 followers
August 1, 2012
Bookaday 75. In usual DK Eyewitness fashion, everything you wanted to know about The Bard, and more!

Profile Image for K.
333 reviews4 followers
April 13, 2016
A good, quick lesson about Shakespeare, his life and the lifestyle of the time in which he lived.
Profile Image for Rebekah.
405 reviews
May 3, 2016
I was hoping for a kid-focused description of the plays. But giving context for the man himself and what would have inspired his writing was pretty good too.
Profile Image for Lily P..
Author 37 books2 followers
Read
September 23, 2016
Used this as an art prompt--great photos and close ups of period costumes and props
Profile Image for Janice.
2,194 reviews2 followers
July 28, 2020
The usual DK book with loads of pictures and information. Good information about Shakespearean times and his life and his work.
Profile Image for Celz  Lin.
205 reviews7 followers
November 4, 2021
Very nice book. It shows how Shakespeare was inspired with his environment.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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