# Best Shakespeare?



## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

I'm looking for recommendations for Shakespeare--complete works, individual plays, sonnets--that are formatted well with line numbers and an interactive table of contents so that I can go directly to a specific location. I have a few free ones which are not easy to navigate. I have a copy of _The Tempest_ which substitutes three question marks for every apostrophe. Absolutely maddening! I have a lovely Riverside Complete Works, but it would be nice to have something more portable.


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2011)

To my knowledge, plays and poetry really don't work well on the kindle yet. I'd love to find a Shakespeare play that does, but unfortunately I think we're stuck with print for now.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I suspect that my standards aren't as high as yours, but I am content with this:



There are few gross translation errors such as your apostrophe (I don't remember any actually, but this is a lot of text so I'm sure there is something). There is little or no white space setting Acts apart. But the lines end where they are supposed to, and I've found it quite readable for the handful of plays I've read in it. The Table of Contents is very clear and works excellently. This is my third compilation of public domain stuff from MobileReference, and I've been happy with all three. They have become my go-to source for collections of that type (there are advantages and disadvantages to these huge conglomerations that have been discussed in other threads)


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I suspect that my standards aren't as high as yours,


Why, Mr. Claw, would you think this?

Thank you for your recommendation. I'll take a look. For fun, I've signed up for a local evening class called Shakespeare Out Loud. We're doing As You Like It, Henry 4 Part 1, Hamlet, and The Tempest. I suspect that most members will have paper copies with line numbers.

I don't want to lug my big hardcover, but I also have to admit that as a new Kindle owner, I'm a little shy about bringing my Kindle. I have encountered more anti-digital book sentiment than I expected. When I brought it to the library for the first time, a woman was curious about it and, like a proud parent, I showed her what it could do. She then flourished her own paper book and loudly said, "And THIS is a BOOK! What's wrong with that?" I have to say that I was a little offended, but my manners are better than hers. Books have always been a huge part of my personal life and profession, and I have great respect for all versions.

Thanks again. I appreciate your time and will take a good at your recommendation.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

mayfire said:


> Why, Mr. Claw, would you think this?
> 
> Thank you for your recommendation. I'll take a look. For fun, I've signed up for a local evening class called Shakespeare Out Loud. We're doing As You Like It, Henry 4 Part 1, Hamlet, and The Tempest. I suspect that most members will have paper copies with line numbers.
> 
> ...


I answer questions from the public for a living, as part of my job, and it's a reflex for me to cover myself with phrases like that in case you don't like what I recommend! I hadn't even realized that I did it in my response here till you pointed it out.

I really do like the MobileReference compilations.

I'd take my Kindle proudly. They correctly expect you to respect their choice of a way to read, but that means they also have to respect yours!

The ability to vary the size of the text will probably help you if you're actually reading out loud from your Kindle. Don't forget that for K2 and K3 you can shift it to landscape mode and increase the text size if you need to. Though your standards in this area may be higher than mine! <hee hee>


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I was thinking about this, and if you want to hear a REAL expert on prevarication and CYA-ing, go to a National Park and ask a ranger to predict the weather a few hours hence.


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## mattposner (Oct 28, 2010)

I like the Folger Library editions. Here's an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-New-Folger-Library-Shakespeare/dp/074347712X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294608197&sr=1-1


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks, mattposner. I like Folger. I see that some of the Folger editions are available on Kindle, but not all yet. I wonder why.

Mr. Claw, I have looked at the Mobi Complete Works edition you suggested. Would you recommend buying that one or the individual plays that are offered at 89 cents each. The Complete is certainly a bargain at $2.39. Do you think there is any difference in quality?


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

mayfire said:


> Thanks, mattposner. I like Folger. I see that some of the Folger editions are available on Kindle, but not all yet. I wonder why.
> 
> Mr. Claw, I have looked at the Mobi Complete Works edition you suggested. Would you recommend buying that one or the individual plays that are offered at 89 cents each. The Complete is certainly a bargain at $2.39. Do you think there is any difference in quality?


Being a frugal evil melodrama villain, I just bought the combined edition, so don't know about the individual plays. I doubt there is a difference in the conversion. Some people hate omnibus editions because you can't tell how far through an individual work you are, but this doesn't bother me.

What I'd really like to see is a Kindleized and annotated collection of all of Shakespeare's works. This would justifiably cost a lot more than the MobileReference book, but might be worth it!


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Yes, a Kindleized, annotated Shakespeare would be lovely.

Hmmm..."frugal evil melodrama villain"?...tell me more, Mr. Claw. Have any of Shakespeare's villains inspired you?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The thing to do, is try out samples of a few of the collections and see if you can tell from that if the plays are formatted well.  I also have the MobileReference one.  But there are others.  I would think you'd want a linked table of Contents so you can go to the play you're interested in.  Mine also links directly to the Acts and Scenes once you select a play, which would be good for readings.  I read on size 3 font and it looks fine. . . a little more difficult on 4 because the lines wrap but, as (I think it was) Claw suggested, you can put it in landscape and fix that.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

mayfire said:


> Yes, a Kindleized, annotated Shakespeare would be lovely.
> 
> Hmmm..."frugal evil melodrama villain"?...tell me more, Mr. Claw. Have any of Shakespeare's villains inspired you?


I should have mentioned, though not exactly annotated, the Schmoop Shmoop editions of Shakespeare plays for Kindle look very intriguing, but I haven't tried one out yet. Might do in lieu of an actual annotation. I've got Shakespeare on the brain lately after seeing a Shakespeare play performed live at the Shakespeare library in Washington when I traveled there recently. Got to follow up on one of those Schmoop Shmoop things (what a name!).

As for the evil melodrama villain, I've always enjoyed the more spectacular villains in popular entertainment. Not so much Shakespeare, but think of the James Bond villains, and that sort of thing. This probably goes back to fourth grade, when I was the villain (and star!) of a melodrama play we put on in speech class called "Not Fit for Man nor Beast". I was dressed very much like the avatar pic except it was a black cape and hat (and a huge black moustache), and had a great time threatening the widow and her beauteous daughter and threatening to foreclose their mortgage if vague and unspecified demands (this was fourth grade, after all) weren't met. Two of my favorite recurring characters in childhood tv cartoons were The Hooded Claw and Dick Dastardly, so when I was trying to come up with a non de plume for KB, my mind gravitated to THC. Usually I'm a fairly straightforward and just business commenter here, but sometimes I get whimsical.

Scarlet has eagerly joined me as my Evil Henchperson, and when we aren't squabbling over Union Rules from the International Evil Henchperson's Association, she helps me with various schemes such as the Weird Kindle Books thread. Search that out and read it, and you will probably be PM-ing Harvey or Ann and demanding that they implement forum software that will allow you to block my posts sight unseen!


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Ann, thanks for your suggestions. I have already begun to sample. The linked T of C is important. I do wish I could get some line numbers, though. When I taught, line numbers were important markers. I feel so naked without them.

Schmoop? Claw, are you sure you're just not making that up? (Wink.) Something tells me you just might be capable of such tomfoolery. Where would the world be without whimsy?

You are reminding me of some childhood memories of villains. Do you remember Snidely Whiplash and Oilcan Harry? How about Deadly Nightshade? Love, love those names.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Claw is, in fact, NOT making up Shmoop. Spelling it wrong, but not making it up.  There are Shmoop editions for many of the classics which are said to contain the full text of the work plus commentary. Generally well priced.

Here's a list to the Shmoop Shakespeare editions. . . . .

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=shmoop+classics&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=shmoop+shakespeare&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ashmoop+shakespeare


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

mayfire said:


> Schmoop? Claw, are you sure you're just not making that up? (Wink.) Something tells me you just might be capable of such tomfoolery. Where would the world be without whimsy?
> 
> You are reminding me of some childhood memories of villains. Do you remember Snidely Whiplash and Oilcan Harry? How about Deadly Nightshade? Love, love those names.


I DEFINITELY would make up Schmoop! But I didn't, in this case. Generally speaking, my posts here are clearly separated as either whimsical or "just business".



I fondly remember Snidely Whiplash, and he is one of my heroes! (not really). As for Oilcan Harry, you stumped me, I didn't know about him. Which is saying something, 'cause I am a huge fan of Looney Tunes and of animation in general. I own several big expensive art DTBs about Looney Tunes. I had to look Oilcan up! Of course, he was a Terrytoon, not a Looney Tune, that is some excuse.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Oops, I see that I shouldn't have ignored the red warning about someone else posting....Ann has corrected my spelling and given a more comprehensive link than mine....Thanks Ann!  And hurrah for Amazon's search engine, which I usually badmouth, but which took me to Shmoop books even though I didn't spell it quite right.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

To be fair, after I wrote the first part of the post, I looked it up before I posted to be sure I wasn't saying you'd spelled it wrong when you hadn't. . . . .then figured I should include the link since it was right there in that other tab. . . ..


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Claw is, in fact, NOT making up Shmoop.


Anne and Claw,
I never doubted! I was just teasing. Forgive my impertinence.

Claw, Oilcan is a very distant memory. I'm certainly no expert in this area. but colorful names like his do tend to stick. Glad to have added to your villain bank.

I'll take a look at those Shmoop editions. Boy, I won't be forgetting that name!


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

Decision made. I decided to go with the Mobi Reference Complete Works. Nice navigation, very complete, and an excellent price. No annotations, but I'll just have to haul out my big Riverside if I need more explanation. The Shmoop seemed to be for young readers.

Thanks, Anne and Claw.


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## mayfire (Nov 11, 2010)

My Riverside was a gift, one of the best ever, from my husband many years ago.

Henry 5 is my favorite history play! I have used Prince Hal's St. Crispin's Day speech as part of a persuasive speaking and writing unit. Have you seen Branaugh's film version?

I see that you are referencing the 20th C. WW2 _Combat_ translation.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I had to purchase my Riverside for my college Shakespeare course.  Sr. Miriam Joseph (affectionately known as Mimi Jo, but not to her face) explained on the first day that we'd be reading 10 plays and a bunch of sonnets and when you counted up how much it would cost to buy each of the plays individually, even in paper editions, plus a book of the sonnets, it was actually more cost effective to just buy the whole collection.  Plus, she could keep the course flexible and switch what she'd planned later on if the group wanted to without anyone having to go buy another book.

The thing is definitely a tome. . . .but I'll never get rid of it.

Oh, and my son has a t-shirt that says "and thus I clothe my naked infamy". . .which I think is brilliant!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Glad you liked the MobileReference edition, and too bad the Shmoop (hope I spelled that right!) editions didn't work out.  When you say they were for younger readers do you mean they assumed no knowledge of anything before MTV, or what was the problem?

I haven't read the actual play, but I love this from Henry IV:

GLENDOWER

    I can call spirits from the vasty deep.

HOTSPUR

    Why, so can I, or so can any man;
    But will they come when you do call for them?

Hmmm, maybe I'll read that next.  I like Hotspur already.


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