Choice
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An extraordinary collection. Editor Andrews has impeccable credentials: a decade at the Folger, editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, and currently at the NEH. The project, to bring together current perspectives on Shakespeare from every possible area of interest, has resulted in 3 volumes of 20 essays each, divided into Shakespeare's England, his life and works, and his influence on later generations. Not every essay is remarkable, of course, but as a compilation of 60 original essays the set is dazzling and immensely valuable-for the experienced scholar who looks for general suggestions about further research, for the graduate student who needs current overviews and bibliographical resources, for the undergraduate being introduced to the range of Shakespeare's work and the various ways to understand and appreciate it, and for the enthusiast who enjoys viewing, reading, and thinking about Shakespeare. The contributors include historians, literary scholars, and professional directors, actors, writers, and theater critics. Andrews has chosen excellent contributors: for example, G.R. Elton on Elizabethan government, Bernard Beckerman on Shakespeare's dramaturgy, Sir John Gielgud on contemporary Shakespearean acting, Ann Jennalie Cook on Shakespeare's audience, and distinct but interrelated essays by Arthur Eastman, Homer Swander, and Maurice Charney on critical trends. There are individual books available on particular topics but no contemporary collection approaches the range and accessibility of this set. Each contributor has been encouraged to step back and address the topic to an educated and interested general audience. Though often presenting highly specialized and complex material, these essays have lucidity and wit, and always with particular reference to Shakespeare. Some contributors urbanely survey a lifetime of research findings or theatrical experience; others present fresh perspectives in pungent argumentative prose. All are stimulating. Brief bibliographies accompany most essays. A full author and title index is located in Volume 3. An absolutely necessary purchase for graduate and undergraduate collections, and recommended for many large public libraries.-C. Rees, University of Connecticut

Library Journal
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This collection of 60 original essays delivers what its subtitle promises, a comprehensive background to Shakespeare studies, valuable to scholars and general readers alike. The high-quality essays address major interpretive issues; they avoid the narrowed focus of academic journals. The set's uniqueness in a crowded field lies in its provision of what amounts to an education in Shakespeare. Since the essays demand close study, not quick reference, this reviewer regrets the expensive, though beautiful, format; wider circulation could extend the work's deserved audience. Margaret Hallissy, English Dept., Long Island Univ., C.W. Post Ctr., Greenvale, N.Y. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.