Charles and Mary Lamb’s retellings of twenty of Shakespeare’s tales are rich with humour and telling imagery; and the authors reflect much of Shakespeare’s insight into the human condition. The language they use is striking and memorable, and there are lots of direct quotations too making these stories particularly good for reading aloud. Indeed, reading or listening to the appropriate tale before going to see a production of one of the plays would be an ideal way to give children a grip on the plot. This edition comes with a fascinating introduction by Judi Dench, whose passion for these retellings should certainly catch young readers’ attention: ‘you will find heroes and villains, heroines and deceivers, kings, queens, fairies and magic – the same ingredients that all the very best stories are made of.’ Indeed! ~ Andrea Reece
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb was written to be an 'introduction to the study of Shakespeare', but are much more entertaining than that. All of Shakespeare's best-loved plays, comic and tragic, are retold in a clear and robust style, and their literary quality has made them popular and sought-after ever since their first publication in 1807.
This edition contains the delightful pen-and-ink drawings of Arthur Rackham.