The Oxford Illustrated History of Shakespeare on Stage

Rating:
Summary: Perfect in every way
Review: I rarely find a work of this level of excellence. Every single essay in this book is necessary, accessible, illluminating, compelling, and fulfilling. There are times where I read a compilation such as this one and find one or more of the parts to be lacking, superfluous, or just plain boring. Not this book. Bate and Jackson even had the foresight to include an essay by an actor - Judi Dench. Foakes and Wiggins don't just gloss over what is known about his contemporaries, but challenge and engage new ideas about Shakespeare's first performances. Holland offers a fascinating glimpse at the first superstar reviver of his work, Garrick. Thomson covers subsidized Shakespeare and Smallwood incisively explores the current approaches towards his work, Director's Shakespeare. I could go and on and on, but this book has it all. Recommended for academics and students, professionals and amateurs, life-long devotees and the novice who merely wants to learn more about Shakespearean performance.