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books tagged “16th century”
books tagged “16th century”
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Arden Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsorby Giorgio MelchioriISBN 190427112X (1-904271-12-X)
Softcover, Arden Shakespeare
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Arden Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor'Book summary:Giorgio Melchiori is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the Università Roma Tre in Italy. His major publications include Shakespeare's Dramatic Meditations: An Experiment in Criticism; editions of King Henry IV Part 1 and King Edward III for the New Cambridge Shakespeare; an edition of Sir Thomas More (with Vittorio Gabrieli) for the Revels series; Shakespeare's Garter Plays: 'King Edward III' to 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'; and Joyce's Feast of Languages. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and Life Trustee of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. He was awarded a CBE in 1990.The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare's only thoroughly English comedy, created an archetypal literary figure in the shape of the devious, irrepressible John Falstaff. This edition celebrates the play as a joyous exploration of language, but also places elements of its plot firmly in a continental, specifically Italian, tradition of romantic comedy.
In the introduction, Melchiori draws out the complexities of Merry Wives as a multi-plot play, taking a fresh and challenging look at both textual and dating issues and examining the play's comic elements and influences. The book includes tables that illustrate, scene by scene, the passage of time and the sequence of events. The narrative structure and the logistics of performing the play are outlined and analyzed, and a casting and doubling chart is included. The introduction fully explores play's extensive performance history, both dramatic and operatic. A facsimile of the first Quarto is included as an appendix, along with a list of abbreviations and references, a catalog of Shakespeares works and works partly by Shakespeare, and citations for the modern productions mentioned in the text, other collated editions of The Merry Wives of Windsor, and other related reading.The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the plays foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader.[via]"This is a significant and substantive edition, in that nothing has been taken for granted, everything has been opened to reconsideration. The commentary is exceptionally detailed and attentive to questions of language and meaning."John Jowett, Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, Shakespeare QuarterlyMore editions of Arden Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor:
Armadaby Garrett Mattingly, Leonard H. MattinglyISBN 0395083664 (0-395-08366-4)
Softcover, Houghton Mifflin Company
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Artists of the Renaissance: An Illustrated Selectionby Giorgio Vasari, George Anthony BullISBN 0713910658 (0-7139-1065-8)
Hardcover, A. Lane
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Checkmateby Dorothy DunnettISBN 0899663192 (0-89966-319-2)
Hardcover, Buccaneer Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Checkmate'Book summary:The grand finale to Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, "Checkmate" finds Francis Crawford returning to France to lead an army against England. But even as the soldier-scholar succeeds brilliantly on the battlefield, his haunted past becomes a subject of intense interest to forces in both the French and English courts. "Checkmate" is a masterly evocation of the intrigue and pageantry of sixteenth-century Europe--and a triumphant conclusion to the Lymond saga. 1 map. [via]
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The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Millerby Carlo GinzburgISBN 0140060464 (0-14-006046-4)
Softcover, Penguin Books
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Complete English Poemsby John DonneISBN 1857150058 (1-85715-005-8)
Hardcover, Everyman's Library
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Complete English Poems'Book summary:This text contains the complete English poems of John Donne. The detailed notes explain unfamiliar words, clarify obscure references, and refine grammatical complexities; they also give the most important variant reading from selected manuscripts. Avoided are any paraphrases, personal interpretation and unauthorized textual emendations. The book begins with an introduction to the poet and his times, including a bibliography of over 750 items. To complete the volume, Alexander Pope's versions of Donne Satyres II and IV, which are often called into comparison with the originals, have been included in an appendix. C.A. Patrides was the author of over 20 works on the literature of the Renaissance, including "The English Poems of George Herbert". [via]
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Coriolanusby William ShakespeareISBN 1853262854 (1-85326-285-4)
Softcover, Wordsworth Editions Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Coriolanus'Book summary:Philip Brockbank was Director of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham in England from 1979-1988, and General Editor of the New Cambridge Shakespeare from 1984-1990. He wrote On Shakespeare: Jesus, Shakespeare and Karl Marx, and Other Essays and edited Players of Shakespeare 1: Essays in Shakespearean Performance. His other publications include The Creativity of Perception: Essays in the Genesis of Literature and Art and Urban Mysteries of the Renaissance: Shakespeare and Carpaccio.The Arden Shakespeare edition of Coriolanus includes a detailed introduction to the text of the play, including the original printing, language and grammar, lineation, act and scene structure, stage-directions, and anomalies of the text, some of which are thought to indicate editorial intervention in the printing process. Further analysis of the play's content covers the accepted date of composition and historical context for that time, sources, a discussion of tragedy, language, and a description of the play as it was produced on Shakespeare's stage and has been produced in the theater in its afterlife. Two appendices follow The Tragedy of Coriolanus: "The Life of Caius Martius Coriolanus" from Plutarch's Lives, and an extract from Camden's Remaines.[via]The Arden Shakespeare has developed a reputation as the pre-eminent critical edition of Shakespeare for its exceptional scholarship, reflected in the thoroughness of each volume. An introduction comprehensively contextualizes the play, chronicling the history and culture that surrounded and influenced Shakespeare at the time of its writing and performance, and closely surveying critical approaches to the work. Detailed appendices address problems like dating and casting, and analyze the differing Quarto and Folio sources. A full commentary by one or more of the plays foremost contemporary scholars illuminates the text, glossing unfamiliar terms and drawing from an abundance of research and expertise to explain allusions and significant background information. Highly informative and accessible, Arden offers the fullest experience of Shakespeare available to a reader. 
The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadiaby Maurice Evans, Philip SidneyISBN 014043111X (0-14-043111-X)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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Cymbelineby William ShakespeareISBN 1903436028 (1-903436-02-8)
Softcover, Arden Shakespeare
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Cymbeline'Book summary:The Arden Shakespeare is the established edition of Shakespeare's work. Justly celebrated for its authoritative scholarship and invaluable commentary, Arden guides you a richer understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's plays. This edition of Cymbeline provides, a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text, a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play and appendices presenting sources and relevant extracts. [via]
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Dark Fireby C. J. SansomISBN 0143036432 (0-14-303643-2)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Dark Fire'Book summary:It is 1540, and Matthew Shardlake, the lawyer renowned as "the sharpest hunchback in the courts of England," is pressed to help a friends young niece who is charged with murder. Despite threats of torture and death by the rack, the girl is inexplicably silent. Shardlake is about to lose her case when he is suddenly granted a reprieveone that will ensnare him in the dangerous schemes of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIIIs feared vicar-general.
In exchange for two more weeks to investigate the murder, Shardlake accepts Cromwells dangerous assignment to find a lost cache of "dark fire," a legendary weapon of mass destruction. Cromwell, out of favor since Henrys disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves, is relying on Shardlake to save his position at court, which is rife with treasonous conspiracies.
With its wonderful attention to period detail and its brilliant handling of suspense, Dark Fire is sure to win comparisons with Margaret Georges Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles and captivate readers of Philippa Gregory and David Liss. [via]
The Defeat of the Spanish Armadaby Garrett MattinglyISBN 0224617494 (0-224-61749-4)
Hardcover, Cape
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Defeat of the Spanish Armada'Book summary:Garrett Mattingly's thrilling narrative sets out the background of the sixteenth-century European intrigue and religious unrest that gave rise to one of the world's most famous maritime crusades. [via]
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Disorderly Knightsby Dorothy DunnettISBN 0679777458 (0-679-77745-8)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Disorderly Knights'Book summary:The third volume in The Lymond Chronicles, the highly renowned series of historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett, Disorderly Knights takes place in 1551, when Francis Crawford of Lymond is dispatched to embattled Malta, to assist the Knights of Hospitallers in defending the island against the Turks. But shortly the swordsman and scholar discovers that the greatest threat to the Knights lies within their own ranks, where various factions vie secretly for master. [via]
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Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throneby David StarkeyISBN 0060959517 (0-06-095951-7)
Softcover, Harpercollins
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne'Book summary:The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, Good Queen Bess; Elizabeth I holds a unique place in the English imagination as one of the nation's most powerful, charismatic, and successful monarchs. Elizabeth usually is imagined as the icy, untouchable figure, re-created memorably on screen by Bette Davis and Dame Judi Dench, but that vision of Elizabeth ignores the turbulent years of her early life, from her birth as the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in 1533 until her accession to the throne in 1558 after the death of her sister Mary. It is these early years that are the subject of David Starkey's fascinating Elizabeth, which was written to accompany the television series about her life.
Starkey argues that Elizabeth, in her first 25 years, "had experienced every vicissitude of fortune and every extreme of condition. She had been Princess and inheritrix of England, and bastard and disinherited; the nominated successor to the throne and an accused traitor on the verge of execution; showered with lands and houses, and a prisoner in the Tower". He draws on his skills as a respected Tudor historian to produce a deft account of the religious, political, and dynastic maelstrom of mid-16th-century England that reads "like a historical thriller." The book carefully picks its way through the finer points of contemporary religious conflict and the peculiarities of Tudor court ceremony, while exploring also the formation of Elizabeth's character in relation to a murdered mother, a charismatic father, a tortured sister, and a predatory guardian. Highly readable, and written with verve and pace, this is a fascinating account of the young Elizabeth. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk [via]
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An Elizabethan Inheritance: The Hardwick Hall Textilesby Santina M. LeveyISBN 1905400217 (1-905400-21-7)
Hardcover, Anova Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'An Elizabethan Inheritance: The Hardwick Hall Textiles'Book summary:112 p. 19 cm. Over 100 mainly colour illustrations. Burgundy hardcover in mylar-covered pictorial dustjacket. Topics include: before the building of the New Hall; Hardwick New Hall and the 1601 inventory; embroidery, needlework and other techniques; seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the 6th Duke and beyond. Bibliography and glossary. Indexed. [via]
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Elizabethan Treasures: The Hardwick Hall Textilesby Santina M. LeveyISBN 0810963531 (0-8109-6353-1)
Hardcover, Harry N Abrams Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Elizabethan Treasures: The Hardwick Hall Textiles'Book summary:Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, England, houses a world-famous collection of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century textiles. The fact that these exquisite pillow covers, wall hangings, bedcovers, carpets, and upholsteries, many decorated with superb embroidery, have survived in such good condition is little short of miraculous, and due in part to the formidable Countess of Shrewsbury, better known as Bess of Hardwick, who built the house in the 1590s. In her will, Bess instructed her heirs to 'have speciall care and regard to p'serve the same from all manner of wett, mothe and other hurte or spoyle thereof'. In this first illustrated and scholarly account of the collection, Santina Levey places the textiles in their day to day context. Using ledgers and other archival material she describes the origins of the different types of textiles, whether purchased ready-made or put together and decorated by embroiderers, whose work is illustrated by stunning close-up details. Inventories, letters, and personal reminiscences are used to chart the later history of the house and the inevitable alterations that four hundred years of use wrought on the original furnishings. Complete with a glossary and bibliography, this is an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in Elizabethan textiles. [via]
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The Elizabethan Worldby Lacey Baldwin SmithISBN 0395597714 (0-395-59771-4)
Softcover, Houghton Mifflin
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Elizabethan World'Book summary:Trade paperback. 332 pages. Illustrated; notes; bibliography; index. [via]
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Essaysby Francis BaconISBN 1573920320 (1-57392-032-0)
Softcover, Prometheus Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Essays'Book summary:The Essays, Bacon's chief contributions to literature, were published at various times between 1597 and 1625. This collection contains fifty-eight essays, masterfully written with a spirit of superior confidence. All forms of knowledge are subjected to the interpretation of Bacon's views on life. Compiled from his other works, the essays were intended only as private notes for the perusal of a few friends. [via]
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In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novelby Sarah DunantISBN 1400063817 (1-4000-6381-7)
Hardcover, Random House Publishing Group
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› Find signed collectible books: 'In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel'Book summary:My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperors army blew a hole in the wall of Gods eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment.
Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunants epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid.
With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her.
Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultans court. But Fiammetta and Bucinos greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all.
A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the worlds greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page. [via]More editions of In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel:
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King Henry IVby William Shakespeare, A.R. HumphreysISBN 1904271065 (1-904271-06-5)
Softcover, Arden Shakespeare
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› Find signed collectible books: 'King Henry IV'Book summary:The Arden Shakespeare is the established edition of Shakespeare's work. Justly celebrated for its authoritative scholarship and invaluable commentary, Arden guides you a richer understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's plays. This edition of King Henry IV Part II provides, a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text, a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play and appendices presenting sources and relevant extracts. [via]
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King Johnby William ShakespeareISBN 1853262811 (1-85326-281-1)
Softcover, Wordsworth Editions Ltd
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› Find signed collectible books: 'King John'Book summary:One of Shakespeare's most unpopular history plays, King John deals with the life and death of King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216. This is as early as Shakespeare goes in his treatment of English history, concentrating more successfully on the later 14th and 15th centuries in the plays which stretch from Richard II to Henry VI. As a result King John suffers from being so historically distant in time, as well as offering a rather weak and vacillating king, who lacks the charisma and authority of Richard III or Henry V. The play begins with King John struggling to retain his throne, under attack from rebellious courtiers and Philip, the king of France. As the quarrel escalates into war with France, the play begins to take on a contemporary Elizabethan flavour--the feared invasion from a foreign (Catholic) nation, and the extent to which such an invasion is based on the questionable paternity of King John (like Queen Elizabeth, John is accused of being a bastard and is excommunicated). The play is saved from its rather colourless political machinations by Philip the Bastard, John's favourite, a dramatic forerunner of dubious but charismatic malcontents like Edmund in King Lear. It is also Philip who is given the most powerful and patriotic lines, when he claims that "This England never did, nor never shall,/Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror". King John's mysterious and anticlimactic death through illness at the end of the play deflates expectations - something that could be said of the play as a whole. --Jerry Brotton [via]
More editions of King John:
- King John: ISBN 1903436095 (1-903436-09-5)
Softcover, Arden Shakespeare - King John: ISBN 0521293871 (0-521-29387-1)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr - King John: ISBN 0521445825 (0-521-44582-5)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr - King John: ISBN 0743484983 (0-7434-8498-3)
Softcover, Pocket Books - King John: ISBN 0174436130 (0-17-443613-0)
Softcover, Thomson Learning - King John: ISBN 0415026911 (0-415-02691-1)
Softcover, Thomson Learning - King John: ISBN 0521094836 (0-521-09483-6)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr - King John: ISBN 1853262811 (1-85326-281-1)
Softcover, Wordsworth Editions Ltd
- King John: ISBN 1903436095 (1-903436-09-5)
King Johnby Shakespeare Association Staff, Paul Werstine, Barbara A. Mowat, William ShakespeareISBN 0671722735 (0-671-72273-5)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster
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The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1by William Shakespeare, Neil FreemanISBN 1557833834 (1-55783-383-4)
Softcover, Hal Leonard Corp
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1'Book summary:One of Shakespeare's most unpopular history plays, King John deals with the life and death of King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216. This is as early as Shakespeare goes in his treatment of English history, concentrating more successfully on the later 14th and 15th centuries in the plays which stretch from Richard II to Henry VI. As a result, King John suffers from being so historically distant in time, as well as offering a rather weak and vacillating king, who lacks the charisma and authority of Richard III or Henry V. The play begins with King John struggling to retain his throne, under attack from rebellious courtiers and Philip, the king of France. As the quarrel escalates into war with France, the plays begins to take on a contemporary Elizabethan flavour--the feared invasion from a foreign (Catholic) nation, and the extent to which such an invasion is based on the questionable paternity of King John (like Queen Elizabeth, John is accused of being a bastard and is excommunicated). The play is saved from its rather colourless political machinations by Philip the Bastard, John's favourite, a dramatic forerunner of dubious but charismatic malcontents like Edmund in King Lear. It is also Philip who is given the most powerful and patriotic lines, when he claims that "This England never did, nor never shall, / Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror". King John's mysterious and anticlimactic death through illness at the end of the play deflates expectations--something that could be said of the play as a whole. --Jerry Brotton [via]
More editions of The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1:
- The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0140714596 (0-14-071459-6)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0192836072 (0-19-283607-2)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0198129300 (0-19-812930-0)
Hardcover, Oxford Univ Pr on Demand - The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0192814583 (0-19-281458-3)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0671669206 (0-671-66920-6)
Softcover, Pocket Books - The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 1557833834 (1-55783-383-4)
Softcover, Hal Leonard Corp
- The Life and Death of King John/The Famous History of the Life of King Henry VIII: 2 in 1: ISBN 0140714596 (0-14-071459-6)
The Life of Timon of Athensby William Shakespeare, Robert L. SmallwoodISBN 0140707271 (0-14-070727-1)
Softcover, Viking Pr
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Lives of the Artistsby Giorgio VasariISBN 0140444602 (0-14-044460-2)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Lives of the Artists'Book summary:Beginning with Cimabue and Giotto in the thirteenth century, Vasari traces the development of Italian art across three centuries to the golden epoch of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Great men, and their immortal works, are brought vividly to life, as Vasari depicts the young Giotto scratching his first drawings on stone; Donatello gazing at Brunelleschi's crucifix; and, Michelangelo's painstaking work on the Sistine Chapel, harassed by the impatient Pope Julius II. The Lives also convey much about Vasari himself and his outstanding abilities as a critic inspired by his passion for art. [via]
More editions of Lives of the Artists:
- Lives of the Artists: ISBN 0140445005 (0-14-044500-5)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - Lives of the Artists: ISBN 019283410X (0-19-283410-X)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - Lives of the Artists: ISBN 019281754X (0-19-281754-X)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - Lives of the Artists: ISBN 0140444602 (0-14-044460-2)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
- Lives of the Artists: ISBN 0140445005 (0-14-044500-5)
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A Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Actsby Robert BoltISBN 0679728228 (0-679-72822-8)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'A Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Acts'Book summary:FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Consciences of Sir Thomas More and Henry VIII are poles apart in the religious conflict over the king's marriage to Anne Boleyn. [via]
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Measure for Measureby William Shakespeare, Jonathan V. CreweISBN 0140714790 (0-14-071479-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Measure for Measure'Book summary:A dark and difficult play, Measure for Measure has been a popular play since the latter half of the 20th century for its prescient dramatisation of the issues of sexual and political hypocrisy, and the ways in which the state interferes in the private lives of its citizens. Set in Duke Vincentio's Vienna, where poverty, disease and prostitution are rife, Claudio and his fiancée Juliet are arrested for having sex before marriage, and Claudio is sentenced to death. Angelo, the Duke's deputy, who stands in for the Duke whilst he ostensibly goes off on a pilgrimage, enthusiastically endorses the sentence. In fact the Duke remains behind the scenes, watching Angelo as he falls for Claudio's sister Isabella, who comes to beg for her brother's life. Angelo is a wonderful creation, loathsome yet fascinating as he struggles with the double standards of his enforcement of draconian laws whilst lusting after the sister of the man he is prepared to execute, debating "The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?".
No one is spared Shakespeare's withering look at the mores of early 17th-century life, not even the pimps and madams who try to get by in the midst of the Duke's bizarre and coercive disguises and performances. The deeply ambiguous ending of Measure for Measure confirms it as one of Shakespeare's most ambivalent and arguably despairing plays. --Jerry Brotton [via]
More editions of Measure for Measure:
- Measure for Measure: ISBN 0140707158 (0-14-070715-8)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - Measure for Measure: ISBN 0140714030 (0-14-071403-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - Measure for Measure: ISBN 0174434774 (0-17-443477-4)
Softcover, Thomson Learning - Measure for Measure: ISBN 0140714790 (0-14-071479-0)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
- Measure for Measure: ISBN 0140707158 (0-14-070715-8)
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The Merry Wives of Windsorby William ShakespeareISBN 1419172662 (1-4191-7266-2)
Softcover, Kessinger Pub Co
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Merry Wives of Windsor'Book summary:Written around 1597, critics believe that The Merry Wives of Windsor was written to capitalise on the popular success of the corpulent, knavish Sir John Falstaff in the two parts of Henry IV. Falstaff takes centre stage again in this play, hard up for money and planning to pay off his debts by seducing the wives of two rich citizens, Ford and Page. As in the earlier Henry IV plays, Falstaffs elaborate plans go awry, with disastrous and humiliating consequences. Ford is furious with Falstaff's attempt to woo his wife, whilst both Mistress Ford and Mistress Page have the measure of Falstaff, and repeatedly dupe him, first hiding him in a laundry basket and dumping him in the river, then tormenting him in the forest of Windsor with children disguised as fairies.
Often dismissed as a hasty and mechanical play lacking in depth, The Merry Wives of Windsor is in fact a wonderfully inventive farce. Falstaff is a ludicrous mock hero, dressed as a mythical hunter in the forest, declaiming "powerful love that in some respects makes a beast a man, in some others a man a beast!" Mistress Ford and Page are also great comic creations, witty and resilient women who drive the comedy, no longer "in the holiday time" of beauty, but wise and streetwise women who are always one step ahead of the absurd Falstaff. A greatly underrated play. --Jerry Brotton [via]
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Orlando Furiosoby Ludvico Aristo, William Stewart RoseISBN 1406806072 (1-4068-0607-2)
Softcover, Echo Library
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Pawn in Frankincenseby Dorothy DunnettISBN 0899663214 (0-89966-321-4)
Hardcover, Buccaneer Books
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Pawn in Frankincense'Book summary:The fourth title in the LYMOND CHRONICLES series, originally published in 1969. Set in 1552, Frances Crawford is searching for his son, who has been hidden somewhere in slavery. While he searches, his enemy waits with an elaborate plan of humiliation and violence. Follows THE GAME OF KINGS, QUEEN'S PLAY and THE DISORDERLY KNIGHTS. [via]
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The Reformationby Diarmaid MacCullochISBN 014303538X (0-14-303538-X)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Reformation'Book summary:Diarmaid MacCulloch wrote what is widely considered to be the authoritative account of the Reformationa critical juncture in the history of Christianity. "It is impossible to understand modern Europe without understanding these sixteenth-century upheavals in Latin Christianity," he writes. "They represented the greatest fault line to appear in Christian culture since the Latin and Greek halves of the Roman Empire went their separate ways a thousand years before; they produced a house divided." The resulting split between the Catholics and Protestants still divides Christians throughout the Western world. It affects interpretations of the Bible, beliefs about baptisms, and event how much authority is given to religious leaders. The division even fuels an ongoing war. What makes MacCulloch's account rise above previous attempts to interpret the Reformation is the breadth of his research. Rather than limit his narrative to the actions of key theologians and leaders of the eraLuther, Zingli, Calvin, Loyola, Cranmer, Henry VIII and numerous popesMacCulloch sweeps his narrative across the culture, politics and lay people of Renaissance Western Europe. This broad brush approach touches upon many fascinating discussions surrounding the Reformation, including his belief that the Latin Church was probably not as "corrupt and ineffective" as Protestants tend to portray it. In fact, he asserts that it "generally satisfied the spiritual needs of the late medieval people." As a historical document, this 750-page narrative has all the key ingredients. MacCulloch, a professor of history as the Church of Oxford University, is an articulate and vibrant writer with a strong guiding intelligence. The structure is sensiblestarting with the main characters who influenced reforms, then spreading out to the regional concerns, and social intellectual themes of the era. He even fast forwards into American Christianityshowing how this historical era influences modern times. MacCulloch is a topnotch historianuncovering material and theories that will seem fresh and inspired to Reformation scholars as well as lay readers. --Gail Hudson [via]
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Reformation : Europe's House Divided 1490-1700by Diarmaid MacCullochISBN 0713993707 (0-7139-9370-7)
Hardcover, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Reformation : Europe's House Divided 1490-1700'Book summary:Diarmaid MacCulloch wrote what is widely considered to be the authoritative account of the Reformationa critical juncture in the history of Christianity. "It is impossible to understand modern Europe without understanding these sixteenth-century upheavals in Latin Christianity," he writes. "They represented the greatest fault line to appear in Christian culture since the Latin and Greek halves of the Roman Empire went their separate ways a thousand years before; they produced a house divided." The resulting split between the Catholics and Protestants still divides Christians throughout the Western world. It affects interpretations of the Bible, beliefs about baptisms, and event how much authority is given to religious leaders. The division even fuels an ongoing war. What makes MacCulloch's account rise above previous attempts to interpret the Reformation is the breadth of his research. Rather than limit his narrative to the actions of key theologians and leaders of the eraLuther, Zingli, Calvin, Loyola, Cranmer, Henry VIII and numerous popesMacCulloch sweeps his narrative across the culture, politics and lay people of Renaissance Western Europe. This broad brush approach touches upon many fascinating discussions surrounding the Reformation, including his belief that the Latin Church was probably not as "corrupt and ineffective" as Protestants tend to portray it. In fact, he asserts that it "generally satisfied the spiritual needs of the late medieval people." As a historical document, this 750-page narrative has all the key ingredients. MacCulloch, a professor of history as the Church of Oxford University, is an articulate and vibrant writer with a strong guiding intelligence. The structure is sensiblestarting with the main characters who influenced reforms, then spreading out to the regional concerns, and social intellectual themes of the era. He even fast forwards into American Christianityshowing how this historical era influences modern times. MacCulloch is a topnotch historianuncovering material and theories that will seem fresh and inspired to Reformation scholars as well as lay readers. --Gail Hudson [via]
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Ringed Castleby Dorothy DunnettISBN 0679777474 (0-679-77747-4)
Softcover, Random House Inc
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› Find signed collectible books: 'Ringed Castle'Book summary:For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.
Fifth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, The Ringed Castle leaps from Mary Tudor's England to the barbaric Russia of Ivan the Terrible. Francis Crawford of Lymond moves to Muscovy, where he becomes advisor and general to the half-mad tsar. Yet even as Lymond tries to civilize a court that is still frozen in the attitudes of the Middle Ages, forces in England conspire to enlist this infinitely useful man in their own schemes.
From the Trade Paperback edition. [via]More editions of Ringed Castle:
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The Second Part of Henry IVby William ShakespeareISBN 1404309039 (1-4043-0903-9)
Softcover, IndyPublish.com
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Second Part of Henry IV'Book summary:Written in 1598, hard on the heels of the massive popular success of Henry IV Part One, Henry IV Part Two takes up where the first part finished, and completes Shakespeare's portrayal of the troubled reign of Henry IV. Rebellion has apparently been quelled, but dissension still permeates the country, and Henry is disillusioned, sick and dying. After the pace and comedy of Part One., Part Two is a much more subdued and gloomy affair. The tone is set by the early appearance of Falstaff, who relishes the possibilities of easy picking in the face of more civil unrest with his sinister quip that "I will turn diseases to commodity".
The drama focuses on Henry IV's difficult relationship with his son Prince Hal, and the latter's gradual emergence as a charismatic sovereign. In the process he sheds his image as a prodigal wastrel dramatised in the first half of Part One, assuming the title of King Henry V in the closing scenes of Part Two. Perhaps the most poignant moment of the whole play remains Henry's cold-blooded rejection of Falstaff, his surrogate father for much of Part One. "I know thee not, old man" he tells the crushed Falstaff as he assumes the royal crown, preparing the audience for the type of monarch they will see in Shakeseare's subsequent dramatisation of English history, Henry V. --Jerry Brotton [via]
Shakespeare's the Winter's Taleby William ShakespeareISBN 0671006568 (0-671-00656-8)
Softcover, Monarch Notes
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The Tragedie of Cymbeline, King of Britaineby William Shakespeare, Neil FreemanISBN 1557833184 (1-55783-318-4)
Softcover, Hal Leonard Corp
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Tragedie of Cymbeline, King of Britaine'Book summary:If there has ever been a groundbreaking edition that likewise returns the reader to the original Shakespeare text, it will be THE APPLAUSE FOLIO TEXTS. If there has ever been an accessible version of the Folio, it is this edition, set for the first time in modern fonts. The Folio is the source of all other editions. The Folio text forces us to re-examine the assumptions and prejudices which have encumbered over four hundred years of scholarship and performance. Notes refer the reader to subsequent editorial interventions, and offer the reader a multiplicity of interpretations. Notes also advise the reader on variations between Folios and Quartos. Prepared and annotated by Neil Freeman, Head, Graduate Directing Program, University of British Columbia. [via]
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The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th-Century Dressby Ninya Mikhaila, Jane Malcolm-DaviesISBN 0713489855 (0-7134-8985-5)
Softcover, Batsford
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Tudor Tailor: Reconstructing 16th-Century Dress'Book summary:A valuable sourcebook for costume designers, dressmakers and those involved in historical reenactments, this book contains all the information you need to create authentic clothes from the Tudor period. Computer-generated, historically accurate patterns enable you to make a wide range of garments, such as doublets, hose, bodices, skirts, hats and headdresses -- even underwear. There are also plenty of ideas for decoration and embellishment such as ruffs, cuffs, collars, embroidery and other surface decoration. The full range of Tudor society is represented, including lower- and middle-class clothing as well as the more sumptuous costumes from the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. There is also information on how to store and look after your finished clothing. In addition to the patterns, there are detailed drawings of each costume and information about historical context, including original paintings and source material. [via]
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Tudor Tailor: Techniques And Patterns for Making Historically Accurate Period Clothingby Ninya MikhailaISBN 0896762556 (0-89676-255-6)
Softcover, Costume & Fashion Pr
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The Winter's Taleby William ShakespeareISBN 1419188208 (1-4191-8820-8)
Softcover, Kessinger Pub Co
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Winter's Tale'Book summary:One of Shakespeare's most haunting and enigmatic late plays, The Winter's Tale is a fine example of Shakespeare's fascination with the dramatic genre of "romance": the portrayal of magical lands, familial conflict and exile, and final reunion and reconciliation. Drawing on Robert Green's story Pandosto, Shakespeare play tells the story of the middle-aged Leontes, king of Sicilia, and his childhood friend Polixenes, the king of Bohemia. Leontes mistakenly believes that his friend is having an affair with his wife, Hermione. In his jealousy, and consumed by "tremor cordis", he tries to murder Polixenes, who flees, and accuses his wife of adultery. Hermione gives birth to a baby girl, Perdita, who Leontes denounces as illegitimate, and casts her out into the wilderness. Hermione is ultimately proved innocent, but her son, Mamillius, dies of grief. Hermione collapses, apparently dead, and Leontes is left to pick up the tragic consequences of his actions. Time passes, and the action moves to Bohemia, where the lost child Perdita has grown up a shepherdess in the midst of "great creating nature". The final scenes of the play draw towards resolution and reconciliation between Leontes, Hermione and their lost daughter, culminating in one of Shakespeare's most moving final scenes. One of Shakespeare's most consummate plays, The Winter's Tale is a fascinating study of male insecurity and the relations between art and nature. --Jerry Brotton. [via]
More editions of The Winter's Tale:
- The Winter's Tale: ISBN 1421813742 (1-4218-1374-2)
Softcover, 1st World Library - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 155783296X (1-55783-296-X)
Softcover, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 1853262358 (1-85326-235-8)
Softcover, Wordsworth Editions Ltd - The Winters Tale: ISBN 1414224346 (1-4142-2434-6)
Hardcover, IndyPublish.com - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 1903436001 (1-903436-00-1)
Softcover, Thomson Learning - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 014071488X (0-14-071488-X)
Softcover, Penguin Group USA - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0192838776 (0-19-283877-6)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0451527143 (0-451-52714-3)
Softcover, Signet Classic - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0486411184 (0-486-41118-4)
Softcover, Dover Pubns - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0521293731 (0-521-29373-1)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0563178558 (0-563-17855-8)
Softcover, Bbc Pubns - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0743484894 (0-7434-8489-4)
Softcover, Pocket Classics - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0140707166 (0-14-070716-6)
Softcover, Viking Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0192819569 (0-19-281956-9)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0198319894 (0-19-831989-4)
Softcover, Oxford Univ Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0415027101 (0-415-02710-1)
Softcover, Thomson Learning - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0416476708 (0-416-47670-8)
Softcover, Routledge - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0521095069 (0-521-09506-9)
Softcover, Cambridge Univ Pr - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0669222100 (0-669-22210-0)
Softcover, Houghton Mifflin College Div - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0671669176 (0-671-66917-6)
Softcover, Pocket Books - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0517122219 (0-517-12221-9)
Hardcover, Random House Value Pub - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 0671421956 (0-671-42195-6)
Hardcover, Washington Square Press - The Winter's Tale: ISBN 1419188208 (1-4191-8820-8)
Softcover, Kessinger Pub Co
- The Winter's Tale: ISBN 1421813742 (1-4218-1374-2)
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The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contextsby William Shakespeare, Baldwin MaxwellISBN 0140714049 (0-14-071404-9)
Softcover, Penguin Group (Canada)
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› Find signed collectible books: 'The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts'Book summary:Completely re-edited, the New Folger Library editions of Shakespeare's plays put readers in touch with current ways of thinking about Shakespeare. Each freshly edited text is based directly on what the editors consider the best early printed version of the play. Each volume contains full explanatory notes on pages facing the text of the play, as well as a helpful introduction to Shakespeare's language. The accounts of William Shakespeare's life, his theater, and the publication of his plays present the latest scholarship, and the annotated reading lists suggest sources of further information. The illustrations of objects, clothing, and mythological figures mentioned in the plays are drawn from the Library's vast holdings of rare books. At the conclusion of each play there is a full essay by an outstanding scholar who assesses the play in light of today's interests and concerns. [via]
More editions of The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts:
- The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts: ISBN 0451522605 (0-451-52260-5)
Softcover, Penguin Group (Canada) - The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts: ISBN 0460875191 (0-460-87519-1)
Softcover, Dent & Sons (Canada), Limited, J. M. - The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts: ISBN 0671722972 (0-671-72297-2)
Softcover, Simon & Schuster - The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts: ISBN 0140714049 (0-14-071404-9)
Softcover, Penguin Group (Canada)
- The Winter's Tale : Texts and Contexts: ISBN 0451522605 (0-451-52260-5)
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