The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. By Michael Dobson and Stanley Wells. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001; pp. 608, 100 photos. $45 hardcover

Extract

The very best in a long line of “Shakespeare Companions,” this latest entry from Oxford University Press is substantial in both a literal and figurative sense. Boasting over 3,000 entries, 608 pages, 100 illustrations, and more than a half-million words, it is the longest and most exhaustive volume of its kind ever produced. In addition, it carries the weighty authority not only of its highly respected editors, Michael Dobson and the venerable Stanley Wells, but also of a wide range of first-rate scholarly contributors, such as Helen Vendler, Stephen Orgel, Jonathan Bate, R. A. Foakes, and James Shapiro. Although the book is brilliant in many respects, it does have a conceptual flaw that somewhat limits its usefulness in the United States.