The Shakespeare Handbooks provide a helpful, straightforward guide to the work of the world's most celebrated dramatist. Along with a clear, easy-to-follow description of the plot, each book contains plenty of quotations from the text - with simple explanations of any unfamiliar words and phrases - and some thought-provoking comments from critics, past and present.

The Shakespeare Handbooks include a few intriguing Shakespearean facts and figures, too. How old was Shakespeare when he wrote Pericles? Was it all his own work? What did Shakespeare's friend and rival Ben Jonson think of the play? Which ancient goddess plays an important part in Pericles? How might a death, a marriage and a birth in the family have influenced Shakespeare when he was writing the play? What was radical about a 1958 performance of Pericles at Stratford-upon-Avon? What are 'travails'? What is a 'doit'? And a 'creature of sale'? And which disease does the unfortunate French knight, Monsieur Veroles, suffer from?

If you're apprehensive about approaching a Shakespeare play, the Shakespeare Handbooks provide the perfect introduction. They're ideal for students, theatregoers - in fact, anyone curious to know more about the greatest plays in the English language.

These are a few of the appreciative comments we've received about the Shakespeare Handbooks: "Tremendously useful in helping to understand Shakespeare's works" - Dame Judi Dench. "Very readable, very helpful" - Kenneth Branagh. "The Shakespeare Handbooks open the plays up admirably. Excellent for all levels of reader - everybody will get something from them." - Simon Callow.