Eric Rasmussen Boeken

Illustrated with photographs of performances chosen by RSC Directors, this title features on-page notes which explain words and phrases unfamiliar to a modern audience.

The first edition of Shakespeare's collected works, the First Folio, published in 1623, is one of the most valuable books in the world and has historically proven to be an attractive target for thieves. Of the 160 First Folios listed in a census of 1902, 14 were subsequently stolen-and only two of these were ever recovered. In his efforts to catalog all these precious First Folios, renowned Shakespeare scholar Eric Rasmussen embarked on a riveting journey around the globe, involving run-ins with heavily tattooed criminal street gangs in Tokyo, bizarre visits with eccentric, reclusive billionaires, and intense battles of wills with secretive librarians. He explores the intrigue surrounding the Earl of Pembroke, arguably Shakespeare's boyfriend, to whom the First Folio is dedicated and whose personal copy is still missing. He investigates the uncanny sequence of events in which a wealthy East Coast couple drowned in a boating accident and the next week their First Folio appeared for sale in Kansas. We hear about Folios that were censored, the pages ripped out of them, about a volume that was marked in red paint-or is it blood?-on every page; and of yet another that has a bullet lodged in its pages. -- Provided by publisher

From the Royal Shakespeare Company – a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare’s bleakest and most profound tragedy. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of King Lear in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are interviews with three leading directors – Adrian Noble, Deborah Warner and Trevor Nunn – providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare’s career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended – as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed. Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare’s works for the twenty-first century.

This edition of Much Ado About Nothing is part of the groundbreaking Cambridge School Shakespeare series established by Rex Gibson. Remaining faithful to the series' active approach it treats the play as a script to be acted, explored and enjoyed. As well as the complete script of the play, you will find a variety of classroom-tested activities, an eight-page colour section and a selection of notes including information on characters, performance, history and language.

This first edition in over a century explores 'The Shakespeare Apocrypha,' featuring ten plays potentially influenced by Shakespeare. Edited by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, it includes a comprehensive essay on authorship by Will Sharpe. This collection merges textual scholarship with elegant design, appealing to Shakespeare enthusiasts.