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Michael Dobson
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The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare 2nd Edition

by Michael Dobson (Editor), Stanley Wells (Editor), Will Sharpe (Editor),
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare is the most comprehensive reference work available on Shakespeare's life, times, works, and his 400-year global legacy. In addition to the authoritative A-Z entries, it includes nearly 100 illustrations, a chronology, a guide to further reading, a thematic contents list, and special feature entries on each of Shakespeare's works. Tying in with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, this much-loved Companion has been revised and updated, reflecting developments and discoveries made in recent years and to cover the performance, interpretation, and the influence of Shakespeare's works up to the present day.

First published in 2001, the online edition was revised in 2011, with updates to over 200 entries plus 16 new entries. These online updates appear in print for the first time in this second edition, along with a further 35,000 new and revised words. These include more than 80 new entries, ranging from important performers, directors, and scholars (such as Lucy Bailey, Samuel West, and Alfredo Michel Modenessi), to topics as diverse as Shakespeare in the digital age and the ubiquity of plants in Shakespeare's works, to the interpretation of Shakespeare globally, from Finland to Iraq. To make information on Shakespeare's major works easier to find, the feature entries have been grouped and placed in a centre section (fully cross-referenced from the A-Z). The thematic listing of entries - described in the press as 'an invaluable panorama of the contents' - has been updated to include all of the new entries. This edition contains a preface written by much-lauded Shakespearian actor Simon Russell Beale.

Full of both entertaining trivia and scholarly detail, this authoritative Companion will delight the browser and reward students, academics, as well as anyone wanting to know more about Shakespeare.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198708734
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198708735
  3. Edition
    2nd
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 2016
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    1.1 x 8.9 x 11 inches
  8. Print length
    608 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Companion is a neatly prepared one-stop shop for a wealth of basic information about Shakespeare's works, then, and now." --Kevin Curran, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900

Book Description

The second edition reflects developments and discoveries made in recent years, and the performance, interpretation, and influence of Shakespeare's works up to the present day

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (January 1, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 608 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198708734
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198708735
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.26 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.1 x 8.9 x 11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

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Michael Dobson

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ravanagh Allan
3.0 out of 5 stars Could Be Better
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2019
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Book is an encyclopaedia of all things Shakespeare (actors, companies, commentators, movies, etc.), with very little discussion of the actual texts!
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R. Quackenbush
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2016
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A fine single-volume look at Sahakespeare, his works, and his world.
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LPower Inkhorn NLP Trainer
1.0 out of 5 stars Reflects author Stanley Wells bias and not reality
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016
I happened across this book at a well known bookstore the other day, and greeted it with caution and skepticism when I saw that Stanley the world renowned Shakespeare propagandist was the author.

Here is a man who professes to love Christopher Marlowe, whom many Shakespeare scholars throughout the last four centuries have pronounced to be the single greatest influence on Shakespeare. Famous scholars, authors and poets have even pronounced that several Shakespeare plays were either wholly or substantially by Marlowe.

TS Eliot for example proposed that Marlowe wrote Richard the third, as did J M Robertson and others. Edmond Malone, perhaps the greatest of all the Shakespeare scholars proposed that Marlowe wrote the three Henry the sixth plays. Yet in the original Oxford Shakespeare which he co-edited he fails to mention Marlowe a single time. Nor does he ever mention in this companion to that edition.

So why then does Wells by act and omission seek to delete Marlowe from the historical record? Why does he go to war over a microscopic ?1593. in Westminster Abbey, and rudely accuse the Dean and chapter of that Abbey of being duped? Why does he claim that the Cobbe portrait of a handsome man who is clearly Sir Thomas Overbury is in fact Shakespeare when anyone with eyes can see that this is not so. Could it be that the bald Wells is being a baldist rejecting the bald sinewy man who adorns the First Folio and who closely matches the original matches the Shakespeare in the Stratford monument, holding what appears to be a sack of grain instead of a pen in favor of a sexier, hairy headed and more appealing Shakespeare as depicted in the Cobbe portrait?

Methinks the man doth protest too much. Wells, in recent years has made a series of bizarre assertions that are demonstrably untrue. A recent assertion by him that Shakespeare entered the grammar school at age 7, is not supported by any historical evidence or record. There is no record that Shakespeare had any education. How is this consistent with his claim that he is a world renowned scholar when he is incapable of qualifying his statements to acknowledge the actual reality? In a speech he also claimed that Shakespeare's name also appeared on 39 first editions and reprints of plays during his lifetime. The real number counting reprints of the same plays is about 24, quite a distance shy of the 39 claimed by Wells.

Also, Wells has insulted members of the Royal family the patrons of the Royal Shakespeare Company for presuming to question authorship.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about Shakespeare is that there is a question about authorship. There is no evidence in Shakspeare's will that he owned any literature for example, nor is there a receipt for a payment for a play, or a single handwritten letter ever written by Shakspeare to anybody. There also many plays bearing the name Shakespeare which have been dismissed as fakes by Shakespeare scholars.

So why does Wells fail to mention Marlowe when other scholars such as Bate for example, say that without Marlowe there would not be a Shakespeare? Shakespeare helped to pay Wells mortgage, and would you really expect Wells to have an opinion that disagrees with either his paycheck or his mortgage?

His minion the Rev Paul Edmondson claims they don't seem to hear from those who protest Shakespeare authorship. Are we supposed to believe that he is unaware of  Shakespeare Beyond Doubt? -- Exposing an Industry in Denial  a rebuttal of their own book, or  Shakespeare in Court (Kindle Single)  by Auberon Waugh which exposes their organization the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

If you really want to read an interesting book on Shakespeare which speaks to truth not propaganda may I recommend  30-Second Shakespeare: 50 key aspects of his work, life, and legacy, each explained in half a minute (30 Second)  which I hope to review shortly, and got a good review in a national paper.

10/28/2016 Update. This week came the announcement that Marlowe, 400 years after Shakespeare's death, is finally getting a co-writer credit on the three Henry the Sixth plays. This makes it even more bizarre that Wells fails to acknowledge him in this book, and in my view renders the book obsolete. Perhaps he will eat crow and republish the book with a bio and critical essay about Marlowe, but I would not hold my breath. I imagine the publishers will probably cut their losses on this one.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. R. Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Another 'Oxford' Gem!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2015
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With The Oxford University Press one knows that it is a reliable publication using the creme de la creme of contributors.

This Companion contains quite comprehensive details in its entries so that it is unlikely further facts would be required unless one was making an in-depth study. My other Oxford Companions include: British History and Classical Civilization, both of which are 'drier' than this tome; though in fairness as a mature History student, they are study aids.

This book is well laid out with helpful thematic listings, A - Z entries and a central section of Shakespeare's Plays, each containing a synopsis and other interesting and useful details.

I feel colour plates should have been included as well as black and white; whilst the latter is fine for Vivien Leigh's 'Lavinia', Hogarth's 'Tempest' would have benefited from being reproduced in colour. One small point: Vivien Leigh's name is misspelt in the caption accompanying her 'Lavinia' photograph - which is unusual for the Oxford University Press.

But nit-picking aside, one might intend turning to this book for reference but is more likely to end up getting lost in its pages for a good few hours!

Most highly recommended.
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Wilbur and Wiggy
5.0 out of 5 stars A good general reference
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 19, 2015
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A lot has happened in the world of Shakespeare studies since the first edition of this book appeared in 2001; as well as the ongoing global production of the plays on a huge scale, research and particularly the use of digital resources has uncovered and connected hundreds of documents relating to Shakespeare’s life, family, work and business dealings. Controversy has arisen around the discovery of previously lost plays by Shakespeare, perhaps the most convincing of which is Cardenio.
All these developments are reflected to some degree in the new edition of the book, but the majority of the material is taken directly from the first edition, with minimal updating. This is particularly evident in the lists of representative criticism for each play, and in the bibliographic items appended to some of the short articles. In many cases these lists look back to the 1970s and 1980s, and don’t include much if any of the major work published in the last 15 years. Much of the updating is presented as an addendum and it’s clear that there hasn’t been a thoroughgoing revision of all the material.
This is a book for the generalist not the specialist, however, and any practitioner or researcher engaging professionally with Shakespeare would of course be drawing on other resources. What the Oxford Companion offers is a thoughtfully balanced, handsomely produced book summarizing information about and approaches to the plays designed for a non-expert audience. To its credit, jargon and highly specialized vocabulary are avoided and the style is accessible but authoritative. No one topic is explored in great depth, but an impressive range of topics is covered in enough detail to help the general reader or audience member to understand the plays, their performance history and their wider context. The organization is logical and clear, making the encyclopedia-style use of the book easy, and an interested reader could happily spend considerable time browsing.
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mandynolan
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good guide
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2015
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I think that encyclopaedia have become unloved as an item but this proves how useful they are...
It's a definitive guide to Shakespeare..,all of the plays and sonnets....
Lots of guides and interesting points about Shakespeare....
It's really good...really useful and a lovely lovely book....
Great for a present...
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Themistocles
5.0 out of 5 stars 1949) American sculptor whose bronzes adorn the Great Garden of New Place'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2016
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This volume, introduced by Simon Russell Beale, while well-researched and academically impeccable, is nonetheless accessible and of interest to the general reader. At the front of the book, the 'thematic listing of contents' under headings such as 'Critical History of the Works' and 'Shakespeare on Film and Television' allows the reader to see all the entries at once, a time saver if the reader is looking for some particular aspect of the Shakespeare phenomenon and wants to check if it's included in the book.

The main bulk of the book consists of the alphabetical entries, an encyclopaedia of all things Shakespearean, ranging from 'Aaron, a Moor and Tamara's lover in Timon of Athens' to 'Wyatt, Greg(b.1949) American sculptor whose bronzes adorn the Great Garden of New Place'.

There are illustrations in different media, among them a sketch 'done from memory' of New Place as it was when Shakespeare lived there, as well as numerous photographs, for example of David Tennant and Patrick Stewart in the RSC's modern-dress version of 'Hamlet' (2008) and of other leading actors of their day in their most renowned Shakespearean roles.

Other 'thematic entries' cover 'The Shakespearean Legend' encompassing 'authorial controversy' and 'aspects of bardolatry'. Two of the more extensive sections in the 'thematic headings' are 'Literary features and terms' and 'Elizabethan and Jacobean literary context', useful for students and teachers at GCSE and National 5 levels and onwards as well as of interest to the general literate reader.

Several entries refer to musical settings from Shakespeare's time onwards and to the influence the dramatist had, and still has, on composers, both operatic and cinematic, from Verdi's operas to Bernstein's 'West Side Story'.

The central section of the book, interrupting the entries half way through the alphabet, analyses each play under the headings Text (i.e. first appearance of the text, later editions, any lacunae that appear in certain versions, and similar matters): Source ( generally interesting, for example there is a reference to the source of Richard III's famous call for a horse):Synopsis, especially useful as an aid to keeping track, in some plays, of numerous characters with names ending '...tio'): Artistic features: Critical history: Stage history: On the screen: Recent major editions and Some representative criticism. The analyses of the Sonnets which follow is the same, with the omission of 'Stage history' and 'On the screen'. These analyses are by no means comprehensive, impossible in a single volume, but for further enlightenment the reader is given titles of works of criticism which do deal in depth with the plays and sonnets, both in this central section and and in the supplementary 'Further Reading' at the end of the book.

One thing I found distracting about this volume was the use of asterisks before each cross-referenced name. These felt as numerous as midges in summer and almost as annoying. However, they serve a purpose and eventually I managed to ignore them.

This book is printed on glossy paper which serves the illustrations well. It is heavy in the Newtonian sense, so a lectern would be a useful piece of equipment, but not heavy in any other sense and would interest and be helpful to a wide range of readers.

Exit stage right.
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Keris Nine
4.0 out of 5 stars Good basic reference book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2015
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While I personally would have liked to see more articles examining the works themselves, the Oxford Companion to Shakespeare is what it says it is - it's a reference book and not much more than that. That means that the majority of the book is an expanded A-Z index of all things Shakespeare related, although there is a substantial section that gives a detailed walk-through of each of the works.

The A-Z index I found to be of limited value. Certainly there is good and knowledgeable information on various Shakespearean and Elizabethan terms, themes, historical characters, academic writing and character listings. Some of these merit browsing, some turn up fascinating information, but in most cases they only lead on to suggest further reading. The entries are at least accessible and give a good indication of where to look if certain aspects of Shakespeare's plays and themes are of interest. Sometimes however, particularly on shorter entries, the writing doesn't even seem to make a meaningful sentence, and it's difficult to understand what point is being made. Some of the longer entries on larger themes and subjects however are fascinating, leading you to cross-reference other articles. You could easily find a couple of hours fly past 'surfing' this way.

The entries on each of the plays don't provide a great deal of facts or information. There is a brief introduction placing each play in the context of when it was written and what sources it may have been drawn from. The majority of the text in these entries is simply a step-by-step walk through of the works themselves, which can be of more interest to anyone reading unannotated Shakespeare rather than anyone who is already familiar with the plays. Some further references are mentioned and a cursory listing of recorded performances.

The current edition is a heavy 'coffee-table' sized hardcover with glossy pages and black-and-white images, photographs and illustrations.
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