Shakespeare

This fascinating new entry in the popular Treasures series tells the story of William Shakespeare.  Fifteen removable facsimile documents not only illuminate Shakespeare's personal life, but also allow us to examine potential sources for his plays and his relationship to history. All his work is examined--including the Bard's full-length poems and sonnets--and a final section highlights adaptations of his work in a variety of media.
Facsimile items include:
- The record of Shakespeare's baptism
- An eight-page extract from the First Folio of Shakespeare's works
- A poster for a performance by Ira Aldridge in Othello in 1851
- Shakespeare's will
- A ticket for the Jubilee celebrations in 1769
- A prop letter for Macbeth with Ellen Terry's signature
- A costume design for a performance of King Lear by Colin Redgrave
- A poster advertising a Japanese production of King Lear
- A poster for Laurence Olivier's film version of Henry V

Catherine M.S. Alexander is a Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, and formerly lectured at the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon. She collaborates with the RSC's Educational Department and contributes to RSC theater programs. Her books include Shakespeare and Sexuality, Shakespeare and Race, Shakespeare and Language, and Shakespeare and Politics (Cambridge University Press), and the three-volume Cambridge Shakespeare Library.