Top 10 Best Shakespeare Books for Your Library at Home

Thank you for this list. I would have NO idea where to start. What’s a way to get started without getting overwhelmed? My memories of Shakespeare are from high school and it wasn’t a good one. Should I even try again?

Thanks so much for the kind plug, Shelby! I can't imagine any reviewer being lovelier to my own labor of love. :-)
I'm definitely going to seek out the Steampunk Tempest; it sounds very intriguing!
And....for any of your followers who might be interested in delving into the so-called "authorship controversy"...that is, if the lad from Stratford actually wrote the plays or was just a convenient front for another author who wished to keep his (or her) association with the public theaters anonymous (for very valid reasons)....I highly recommend adding a book that I just finished reading entitled Shakespeare Suppressed by Katharine Chiljan; she covers all bases of that issue in its pages, and she's very thought-provoking in the evidence she presents.
I look forward to your videos every week!

there's a ya book based on winter's tale by e.k. johnston called 'exit pursued by bear' and it's crazy good

Love this video, you know how much I love books!! And I actually had not heard of alot of these. Please keep your viewers posted as you come across more great Shakespear books! Have you read the book Women of Will: the remarkable evolution of Shakespeare's female characters by Tina Packer?

i luv books. Translating Shakespeare looks really interesting. Can't wait for the interview!

I just love your videos! For those of us who aren’t Oxford scholars 😉, your content and delivery is so helpful and really a gift! Well done, m’lady, and many thanks!

My bank account is SHOOKETH by this list. I need them all. Thank you!!! Such a great resource!

How cool!! I am definitely interested in #1 the Tales, and the childrens book at the end seems awesome to get my boys interested! Quick question: would that steampunk version of The Tempest still be received correctly if you’ve never read the original? Of course different experience, but still a good read?

Thanks for all the info! Can’t wait to see the interview with David Montee! Good stuff.

Hi Shelby. My daughter has decided to move over from France to the UK to go to high school... one of her 'subjects' is Performing Arts (theatre, singing,...). She took my Complete Works with her, but I'll pass on your tips for other resources which might help her out if she needs them! In terms relating to Shakespeare, she's been lucky enough to visit Stratford-upon-Avon in the past and we watched 'Shakespeare in Love' together... we'd be interested to know what you think of this film BTW and your observations about the writer/actor himself?!! Take care, Rachel.

I often listen to YT while I do something else, but I COULDN'T multi-task on this video. So good and now I want to READ THEM ALL! 😍😍

You have a good list. I recently completed reading all of Shakespeare's plays (including those with uncertain attribution) and now I'm thoroughly enjoying reading literary criticism of his works which makes clear just how astonishing his mind was. Two books I would recommend for your library: Shakespeare's Imagery (by Caroline Spurgeon) and Shakespeare the Thinker (by Anthony Nuttall).

Hi. Please provide the link of the last book.

Useful content!

Just I love your videos!

Would you please analyse "Shakespeare: A theater of envy"? I'm currently reading it, i found it an incredibly insightful, clear written and original interpretion to most of his plays, written by the French "mimetic theory" scholar René Girard.

Thank you so much for the comparison between the Folger and Arden editions!!

This was awesome. I love Shakespeare and consider Harold Bloom's Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human the best book written about Shakespeare's work. I would also suggest Bloom's Hamlet: Poem Unlimited, The Bedside, Bathtub, and Armchair Companion to Shakespeare, and Neil Gaiman's award-winning Sandman story A Midsummer Night's Dream (found in The Sandman: Dream Country graphic novel) where we get an imagined backstory for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (and it features Shakespeare's son Hamnet who died young and might have influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet).

I love Shakespeare work but haven't read even a single book. Can you give me Shakespeare's book(India)

Where can I buy them

This was one of the most useful videos on reading Shakespeare I’ve seen. Thank you!

This girl Shakespeares.

I have 4 Shakespeare Signet classic books. I love how they look and feel in your hands, though they are more academic, than teaching-like, and that's not the best 'version'. I guess you know that book line, how do you like it?

I have a really nice version of Tales From Shakespeare its from the 80s so its not that old. As supplemental to that book there is a book called Mad Mary about Mary Lamb who co wrote it with her brother. She murdered her mother, stabbed her to death, she was ruled insane and later was taken care of by her brother and it was during that period when the two wrote Tales From Shakespeare.

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I am so Shakespearean, I live in a cloud.

This video is very helpful and informative

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Absolutely lovely video and soooo helpful. Subcribed!