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red hardbound 8vo. dustwrapper in protective plastic cover. fine cond. nice clean copy. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. contents free of all markings. dustwr. fine cond., minor rubbing along the top edge, not torn or price clipped. first printing ( letter "a" in letter line) of this edition. list of abbrev. xiv+360p+ genealogical charts. a to z listings. english literature. poetry. history of literature. world history. ancient rome. ancient greece. folklore. mythology. medieval history. history of the theatre. thespian arts. ~"An indispensable dictionary of Characters and proper names with over 3000 entries. With thirty~six plays, two long poems and a collection of sonnets attributed to Shakespeare, the number of proper names in his works adds up to several thousand. Not only are there the characters who appear in the plays and poems, some of them historical figures, some semi~mythical, some purely fictitious, but their speeches also contain references to other people and places, titles of books, and legendary creatures. Although many of Shakespeare's allusions would have been familiar to his original audiences, in the four centuries that have passed since he began writing, a considerable proportion of them have become obscure. Who's Who in Shakespeare offers an alphabetical guide to these names and provides a specific identity and context for each one, with quotations from the works in which they appear, from the sources which Shakespeare may himself have used, and from the writings of his contemporaries. The author. has also contributed his own comments on the accuracy of some of the historical and geographical references and on the links between Shakespeare's own life and his choice of names. For the more important members of the dramatis personae, there are brief analyses of their parts in the action, arranged scene by scene, while the plays themselves are included under their various titles, with details of their original publication, and probable date of composition. Finally, a useful appendix contains family trees of the important ruling and noble houses at the time of the Wars of the Roses and a catalogue of those works which were included in the First Folio. The reissue of this authoritative guide, which will be of equal value to the serious student of English literature and to the interested. playgoer, represents an important contribution to the literature concerning the world's greatest playwright.".
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