Shakespeare: The Life, The Works, The Treasures

by Catherine M.S. Alexander

Hailed as the world's greatest playwright, William Shakespeare has captured the hearts and minds of more audiences than any other. No other writer's works are more performed or more often quoted. Produced in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and beautifully illustrated with both contemporary pictures from Shakespeare's time and photographs of RSC performances, The Life, The Works, The Treasures brings the poet's life alive. It delves into the likely sources that inspired him to write such masterpieces as The Merchant of Venice, Othello and Macbeth and assesses the influences of subsequent generations of performers who have shown the "infinite variety" with which Shakespeare's work can be adapted for all forms of media. A must for both aficionados and those discovering him for the first time, The Life, The Works, The Treasures is unique in containing 30 items of removable facsimile memorabilia

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, Literature, History, Biography

64 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2006

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtfully illustrated, Alexander's book works well for the Shakespeare novice or a knowledgeable reader. The bonuses are the pullout facsimile's of original documents -- some of which are represented in transcripts. The text is biographical as well as historical and takes the reader on a chronological journey through the "land of Shakespeare". The book supports what I know about the bard but also includes details that are new to me. For those looking for an informative and brisk read on the topic, the book fits the task.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the facsimiles that came with the book, and it was fascinating to read about the world Shakespeare lived in and the effect he's had on different societies.

I knocked off a star because (I know, I know, they wrote it, but still) the Royal Shakespeare Company provided a lot of the pictures so it wasn't super diverse. And on page 46 there was a huge editing mistake - the box and photo are of John Dryden, but the text was actually the John Hall text from page 44. Sigh.

[Michael Kerjman · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Allen & Unwind (ISBN 9781741752465), this edition of book is rich of illustrative material targeting less sophisticated but not less curious readers.

It is fun to read such comprehensive informative work published in a ply-with-me style.

[Matt C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was extremely helpful.

[Katy Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been buying Candlewick's "ology" books for my son for years (Dragonology, Pirateology, Wizardology...). Finally, there is the equivalent of Shakespeare-ology for me! Alexander's book for the Royal Shakespeare Company is not for children but like the "ology" books, it has pull out documents (copies of The Bard's baptism record and other legal documents, pages from the First Folio, etc.), many and interesting illustrations, and sidebar articles on related topics. There is very little new but the interactive presentation is attractive and a good summary of key facts and documents.

[John Frankham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A high quality production, 60 page RSC biography, covering the general background, the life, the plays, and how the plays have been presented over the ensuing centuries. With pockets including separate facsimiles of relevant documents - birth and death certificates, playbills, etc. Most enjoyable.