hello frens, is the canterbury classics edition of shakespeare's collected works (picrel) adequate for a first time reader of his plays / poems? if not, is there a /lit/ recommend edition?
If you want a complete edition of Shakespeare you have two options which I have experience with, I'm sure there are others which are decentThe first is the Norton edition Search it up and see what the used prices are like in your countryThe second is the Riverside editionI personally think the Riverside edition is the better edition, it contains better introductions and more notes but it's not remarkably better and so don't stretch your budget for it if you can get the Norton for like $10 but the Riverside is $100 used Based on what I know about Canterbury Classics, you're going to get a cheap 'leather' edition with no notes so I don't think you should buy it YMMV but my Norton edition has the first half of Midsummer Night's Dream underlined and highlighted and the rest of the book is untouched and my Riverside edition is completely untouched You could also consider getting individual Arden or Oxford editions but I'm not sure what your goal is
>>23982212Idk what this book that is exactly but collected works of shakespeare weigh twenty pounds with tiny print, make sure to buy a set of books instead
>>23982212A few come to mind:The Norton Shakespeare (0393934993) has everything you need—plays, essays, footnotes, historical context—in one massive (3536 pages!) volume for $50 -$70. It's specifically written for undergraduates, so it's very accessible if you haven't read much of his work before, but it can be patronizing at times. The newer edition is in multiple volumes if you prefer, but it's far more expensive.Another is the Oxford Shakespeare (9780199267170) which is a little more scholarly and cheaper ($40), but puts about the same amount of text in half the pages, so it can be physically hard to read at times.I've heard great things about the RSC edition (0230200958 ) which was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and may be better than the Oxford Edition, but I don't own a copy myself to confirm that.If price is your concern, you can get a paperback copy of the Pelican Shakespeare for $15 for a good scholarly edition.I personally find the Canterbury Classics series to be a little garish in design and made for consumers to display rather than for study, but to my knowledge the text there is serviceable—you might get some slightly altered versions, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Hope you enjoy reading!
>>23982212There's a recent 400th anniversary facsimile of the first folio that was released in 2023 which has good reviews. It's available on Amazon and often goes on sale, too
thanks for the replies, frens>>23982261>but I'm not sure what your goal isi just want all the works in a single, readable book. it need not be heavily annotated or commentated since i don't mind going in deeper for a more heavily notated edition later if i feel driven towards deeper readings>>23982273>make sure to buy a set of books insteadif every collected works edition is lacking, i'll look into going this route, thanks anon>>23982278>you might get some slightly altered versionswhat would be altered? as in shortened?>Hope you enjoy reading!thank you!>>23982304>There's a recent 400th anniversary facsimile of the first folio that was released in 2023 which has good reviews. It's available on Amazon and often goes on sale, tooi'll look into this edition too, thanks anon
