How to buy Shakespeare?

ForumThe Globe: Shakespeare, his Contemporaries, and Context

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How to buy Shakespeare?

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1TalulahBelle
Aug. 17, 2008, 10:14 am

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2MajikMouse
Aug. 17, 2008, 6:45 pm

I would always recommend buying anthologies, mainly because they allow you to really get a work in its proper context and because you can decide later that you would like to read other works by the same author or produced during the same timeframe.

Most anthologies contain good introductory material and really, unless you are planning an in depth textual analysis or some such, most anthologies will suit your needs just fine. Norton just came out with a new collected works that is quite solid. It has pretty much all the bells and whistles you probably want (good explanatory footnotes, good introductions to the individual plays as well as 100 pages on Shakespeare's life, times and theatre). Another, slightly cheaper option is to try to find a used copy of one of the complete works edited by David Bevington (this was my standby for years until I got the Norton).

Norton also makes very very good editions of individual plays, chock full of wonderful supplementary material (introductions, documents from the time that provide context, etc...). If you go the individual edition route, I would avoid the Arden series (as it is so footnote heavy and designed for obtuse academics, like myself, that dissect the plays to such a level that we bleed all the enjoyment out of them :-)

Best of luck and hope this helps!

3bardsfingertips
Nov. 13, 2008, 4:11 pm

One time I was at Borders' Outlet Store and I came across a huge illustrated anthology. I instantly went into an Ooooooh! of excitations. I pointed the book out to my friend.

She inquired, "How many Shakespeare books do you own anyway, Daniel?"

I paused...searched my memory, and finally asked back, "Portable or non?"

She laughed.

Anyway, the moral of the story is do you plan on walking around with said Shakespeare book or not? That is the issue with Anthologies...though you get a lot more bang for your buck, they are not exactly the most portable books. If you have a few select plays you wish to read, go with the individuals. Besides, the individuals usually have a lot more info about understanding the play, and usually something on its history.

4rebeccareid
Nov. 13, 2008, 8:42 pm

I was just wondering this same question. I found the World of Shakespeare set on Amazon for $99 or $119 (varying price) and I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with it? Good quality or not? etc. It's supposedly all the plays and it seems quite cheap for all of those in individual volumes.

(link here)

Because I'm realizing a huge anthology is not very portable, as you said bardsfingertips.

5MajikMouse
Nov. 14, 2008, 11:20 am

You know, bardsfingertips, that did not even occur to me. I carry around a backpack all day, usually with one or two anthologies, several more books, about 50 student papers, assorted folders and sometimes my laptop.... all totaling about a million pounds. I guess it all depends on how one defines "portability." I define portability as anything I can lug around, but certainly if you are not carrying something like the smaller cousin of something used by a survivalist backpacker, I can certainly see how the size of the Norton (or pretty much any anthology) could be a problem.

If you are going to go with the individual copies, to be honest, the first place I would look is in a used bookstore. It is very expensive to collect all of Shakespeare's plays one by one if you buy them new (even in cheap editions like, say, the Penguins, which are just fine but do not have very much in the way of extra, contextual information). A good used bookstore, however, will almost invariably have a wide variety of plays from a wide variety of editions. Just take a seat in the aisle, get a stack off the shelf, and browse until you find one that strikes your fancy.

6krolik
Nov. 14, 2008, 11:31 am

Yes, unless you're rich, go for used individual copies. Vet them first for pointless highlighting.

7xieouyang
Jan. 5, 2009, 10:07 pm

This coment may be a little late. But, assuming you are still reading this group, I'd suggest going for individual volumes such as the Arden Shakespeare. You have the advantage of excellent introductions and background for each of the plays, plus plenty of footnotes and explanations of words and terms.
Naturally, buying the full set at once is quite expensive but if you are not picky on the order in which you want to read the plays, you can just keep your eyes open and buy them in used bookstores or other bargain places whenever you see one of them. I've gotten most of my Arden ones that way- spending an average of $4-$6 for each of them (don't have them all yet though). I've found them all in excellent condition, virtually new.
I started buying the Arden after I had read my Yale set a few times (which I got a few years back, hardcover edition individual volumes at an excellent price-- under $10 for the full 40 volumes new!). I felt that I needed introductions and better explanations to the plays, which my Yale edition does not. The Yale also has all the footnotes at the end which is a real pain to refer.