William Shakespeare The Complete Works and A Companion Guide 2 Books Box Set

This highly illustrated work of reference contains hundreds of images and facts that encapsulate the glory of this amazing man, his life, his works including plays, poetry and sonnets, his language and legacy. Few people can have ever been so renowned across the international divides for such a remarkable length time, with no sign of diminishment in enthusiasm as the centuries pass. William Shakespeare was born April 1564 and died 23 April 1616, four hundred years ago. Today the bard from Queen Elizabeth s I s Merrie England is the most-read author in the world. His works are truly international, with copies of plays and poetry by William Shakespeare exceeding four billion. He is among the most translated authors in history, eclipsed only by the Bible. Shakespeare penned some of the most celebrated dramas, but also added to the language, inventing an amazing 1,700 new words. His father was a glove maker, leather worker and wool merchant; his mother, Mary Arden, was from a landowning family. One of eight children, young Shakespeare was probably educated at the local King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford but would eventually make his name as an actor and playwright in London. Now, some four centuries onward, Shakespeare s writings continue to enthral and enrapture audiences, to inspire and thrill, not just at Stratford or in London s Globe Theatre but in every corner of the worldwide globe.

He was not of an age, but for all time! were the prophetic words of Ben Jonson in his dedicatory poem prefacing the 1623 collection of Shakespeare s comedies, histories and tragedies, which is commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio. Time has thus far supported Jonson’s bold assertion. No writer before or since has equalled the Bard of Avon’s prodigious achievement. Today his plays are performed all over the world in almost every language – the sun never sets on the works of Shakespeare. Throughout the English-speaking world the language of Shakespeare has become an integral part of everyday discourse but many of those who use it are probably unaware of its source. In the section entitled ‘Quotations from Shakespeare in Everyday Use’ there are a number of examples of phrases and expressions still widely current in the twenty-first century. In the mid-1850s Howard Staunton – better known as a chess master – obtained a contract from the publisher George Routledge to oversee the preparation of an edition of the complete works of Shakespeare. To enhance this project, Staunton commissioned John Gilbert to produce a series of illustrations, many of which are used in this volume. Over the years the original version has often been reprinted, always with monochrome illustrations. It is therefore with the greatest pleasure that Worth Press is able to present to readers this new edition offering all the illustrations in full colour.