Saturday, April 23, 2005

More Shakespeare

Some more of my favorite Shakespeare books:

Novels



Gary Blackwood's Shakespeare Stealer series is great fun. I enjoyed the first two, but haven't read the third one yet. The first story is a study in early copyright law as Widge learns a form of shorthand to transcribe the early performances of Will Shakespeare's plays so a lesser talent can perform the plays in other parts of England and pass them off as his own. Not only does Widge have to deal with his conscience but he gets caught up in the wonderful stories he is supposed to be transcribing.




"King of Shadows" is Susan Cooper's tribute to her husband, Hume Cronyn. The dedication of the book is to him, 'For my actor'.

Nat Field has arrived in England with his acting troupe to perform at the "new" Globe Theatre in London. Upon his arrival he falls very ill with bubonic plague and when he awakes from a fevered sleep he is no longer in the present but back in time in Elizabethan England. He is an actor in this lifetime too and he meets and works with the real William Shakespeare. Through their relationship, Nat finds help in the 16th century with his life in the present. This is a title that boys who read fantasy enjoy although this new cover art puts guys off this title. Susan Cooper has written for the theater and collaborated closely with actors. She honors the traditions of the theater with this book.

Nonfiction



Shakespeare : His Work and His World
by Michael Rosen, 2001



William Shakespeare & the Globe
by Aliki, 1999



Tales from Shakespeare
and More Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams, 1998
Stories in comic strip format.



Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley, 1992

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