Shakespeare Miscellany

by Ben Crystal, David Crystal

This compilation, in the tradition of the Victorian miscellany, gathers together essential facts and fascinating insights into the plays and poems, the man behind them (insofar as this is known), and the context in which he worked. Put together by an actor and a linguist - the pair who brought you 'Shakespeare's Words' (25000 copies sold to date) - it will be quirky, illuminating and endlessly interesting. Topics covered include lost plays, what he would have studied at school, Shakespeare's pronunciation, why the Globe burned down and the difference between a Folio and a Quarto.

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Literary Criticism, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2005

Reviews

[Annabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Crystal uses his wit and humour alongside his fantastic wealth of knowledge and academic style.
This text is full of lots of interesting facts - 'miscellany' is exactly what it is! A perfect 'dip in' book for lovers of Shakespeare. The text does not cover Shakespeare's plays, but it is actually quite refreshing to read about Shakespeare, without worrying about the texts.

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare, or indeed anyone who enjoys Crystal! His signature style once again wins here.

[Paul Sugarman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific book which includes much useful information and many fun facts. Essential for any Shakespeare library.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim volume compiles statistics on various aspects of Shakespeare’s writings and includes a multiplicity of quotes about the plays, acting, and Shakespeare himself … wide-ranging in scope …

[Mrs. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole family has been enjoying this collection of facts and observations as “bathroom reading” for months now. I think that I alone have been utilizing the sewn-in bookmark to read it all the way through. One of my favorite entries regards The Original Shakespeare Company, which endeavors to recreate the performance conditions of Shakespeare’s time by using original texts, rehearsing only briefly on the day of a performance, working from cue texts (an actor’s own part with cues, rather than a complete score), and an onstage “book-keeper” to signal the beginning and end of scenes, and to prompt the actors. I think it would be great fun for our local community theater's Shakespeare group to perform a play this way! I know I would love to see it!

[Rozonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Bardophiles like me, absolutely delightful. For the rest, a mixture of anecdotes and facts about Shakespeare at every level-from the types of verse used by Shakespeare, his use of "thou" and "you" or the word that appears the most in his plays to what you get if you search "Schwarzenegger Shakespeare" in Google or the weirdest versions of the plays in theatre and film. And all mixed up with no order whatsoever. Yes, it's as fun as it sounds.

[Lisa Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was jam packed with interesting information related to Shakespeare and his plays. It's not really a book you can sit down to read cover to cover because your head would be spinning from information overload. I sort of used it as a restroom book if you know what I mean. Taken a bit at a time, it is very interesting and contains lots of facts that I did not know. If you love Shakespeare, then this is the book for you!

[Monic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat less interesting than I had hoped. Be warned that this is miscellany about Shakespeare, and not about his texts exclusively (as I would have preferred). There is a lot of dithering about on the subject of his siblings, home life, movements across the UK, school years etc. However, the map of all the settings of his plays, as well as line counts for different characters etc were enjoyable.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A melange of all things Shakespeare...life, plays, poems, acting, theaters, etc. Included is a sizeable index to relocat entries such as "False Friends." These are words defined in "modern sense" usage followed by "obsolete sense" with examples from various works. One entry notes that play goers were provided with vegetables and fruit to throw at the actors. Audience involvement I guess.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Booksale purchase, and mighty expensive at P150. And a delight to read. It made me miss my reading group, whom I read Hamlet and Julius Caesar with. Some of the trivia here I already knew, thanks to that group. This may just be the book that jumpstarts/revives the group to regroup. And tackle a certain Scottish play...

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting to prepare for a course in the history of the English language that I will be teaching next year and began with this book. It has provided me with a good base to start learning about Shakespeare language next.

[Zachary Waltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This contains a number of interesting trivia that's certainly interesting and at times insightful. It includes a collection of false friends, i.e. words that have changed their meaning from Shakespeare's time. A misunderstanding of these will dislead your reading. Here is the collection:

[Kayla]

LOVE IT!!! it sounds like something that would be incredibly boring to some people but i find it to be one of the most interesting nonfiction books i've ever read.

[Tom Delise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of great information, facts, and statistics for all things Shakespeare.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of fun Shakespeare facts, in no particular order. Full of quotes you'll want to mark with a post-it for later use!

[Rachel Heeter]

It was a great book.

[Helen Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful feast of facts and gobbets.

[Emily Weathers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good resource.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"i'll take 'random tidbits of information from shakespeare's life and works' for a thousand, alex."

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This is how I learned I am not a miscellany kind of guy.