This is an invaluable reference to all the characters who appear in English drama from 1500 to 1660. The book indexes well over a thousand printed plays. In addition to characters' names it indexes character types (Dwarf, Gypsy), nationalities (Frenchman, American), military ranks, psychological states (Jealousy, Melancholy), occupations and professions. The accompanying Finding List provides a table of play titles, authors, dates of publication, dates of performance and short-title catalogue numbers. The book is a much revised and expanded version of An Index of Characters in English Printed Drama to the Restoration (1975). This edition indexes the names of characters in 180 plays which no longer survive in print and characters from Latin plays of the period. Further features are an alphabetical list of plays, an index of playwrights and an expanded bibliography.

This is an invaluable reference to all the characters who appear in English drama from 1500, when drama first appeared in print, to 1660. The book indexes well over a thousand printed plays. In addition to characters' names it indexes character types (Dwarf, Gypsy), nationalities, military ranks, psychological states (Jealousy, Melancholy), occupations and professions. The book is a revised and expanded version of An Index to Characters in English Printed Drama to the Restoration (Microcard Editions, 1975).

The twelve essays were written not simply to honor Stephen Booth, but to further the study of Shakespeare. Booth has, for over forty years, proposed a distinct understanding of how Shakespeare s plays and poems work upon us and a unique and rigorous way of reading them. The essays here reflect his insights and method and are meant both to recognize his monumental achievements as a critic and to suggest the enduring value of his work to Shakespeare scholarship. The first essay explains the method and the advantages of Booth s approach to Shakespeare. The next two on Romeo and Juliet and The Rape of Lucrece demonstrate Booth s way of reading Shakespeare. The next four develop Booth s contention that Shakespeare often sets audiences to watch or, rather, to try to watch a play other than the one he shows them. The next two essays look at textual problems from Booth s perspective and explore the challenges editors face in their attempts to establish authentic texts for modern readers. The last three essays focus on teaching and include a description of Stephen Booth s teaching practices and his own renown explanation, through a commentary on Philip D. Eastman s Go, Dog. Go , of the way poetry works upon its readers and the reasons they value it highly. The book concludes with a bibliography of Stephen Booth s work."

The paratexts in early modern English playbooks - the materials to be found primarily in their preliminary pages and end matter - provide a rich source of information for scholars interested in Shakespeare, Renaissance drama and the history of the book. In addition, these materials offer valuable insights into the rise of dramatic authorship in print, early modern attitudes towards theatre, notorious literary wrangles and the production of drama both on the stage and in the printing house. This unique two-volume reference is the first to include all paratextual materials in early modern English playbooks, from the emergence of print drama to the closure of the theatres in 1642. The texts have been transcribed from their original versions and presented in old-spelling. With an introduction, user's guide, multiple indices and a finding list, the editors provide a comprehensive overview of seminal texts which have never before been fully transcribed, annotated and cross-referenced.