Leslie Dunton-Downer is a lecturer who has an abundance of awards and accolades to her credit. Her Parisian bookshelves are piled high with books on the bard alongside some of her own which have been read worldwide. Alan Riding makes a living out of waxing lyrical about Shakespeare. He regularly contributes his interpretations on the much-loved playwright to national and international press.

The ultimate visual guide to every Shakespeare play. The Essential Shakespeare Handbook nravels the history, themes and language of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.

The ultimate visual guide to every Shakespeare play

The Essential Shakespeare Handbook unravels the history, themes and language of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.

Romance, comedy and tragedy, Shakespeare's canon has it all. With act-by-act plot summaries and resumes of main characters, the Essential Shakespeare Handbook will allow you to enjoy the Bard with new confidence. See the plays and sonnets in context with a portrait of the Bard's life and the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre. Enrich your experience of the Bard's work on the page, stage, and screen with an in-depth look at Shakespearean language and Shakespeare's influence across the globe.

Whether you want a quick overview of Hamlet before a trip to the theatre or help with a Shakespeare essay, the popular Essential Shakespeare Handbook now with a new jacket (previous ISBN 9780751348828) is the book for you.