The Sonnets
"Shakespeare’s Sonnets are the greatest single work of lyric poetry in English, and many individual poems are as powerful as those in any language. Yet they are scarcely read, except for the few that are regularly anthologized. This is not necessarily surprising. To be confronted with 154 sonnets is a considerable challenge, especially if the poems are as complex as any work written by Shakespeare. The effort, however, is more than simply rewarding, because the sequence consists of love poetry that is as passionate, intimate, daring, searing and lyrical as any that we may ever encounter."
Neil L. Rudenstine
Full Leather and Paper editions are out of print.
1 HALF CLOTH LEFT.
In 2016, the world celebrated William Shakespeare's four-hundredth anniversary. Students studied his plays, and theatres across the world put on productions, but in all the revelry, little notice was taken of the Bard's poetry. Shakespeare's 154 sonnets are considered among the greatest poetry of the English language and, indeed, considered by some to be the genesis of modern love poetry. These poems deserve their day in the sun!
We're publishing an edition of The Shakespeare Sonnets, laid out by our master typographers, printed letterpress on the finest stock, and hand-bound. In Shakespeare's time, publishing houses turned to their audiences to bring beautiful editions to life. We want to do just that: so Kickstarter, we need your help!
In his original introduction to our edition, Shakespeare scholar and Harvard University president Neil Rudenstine writes, "Shakespeare's Sonnets are the greatest single work of lyric poetry in English, and many individual poems are as powerful as those in any language. Yet they are scarcely read, except for the few that are regularly anthologized. This is not necessarily surprising. To be confronted confronted with 154 sonnets is a considerable challenge, especially if the poems are as complex as any work written by Shakespeare. The effort, however, is more than simply rewarding, because the sequence consists of love poetry that is passionate, intimate, daring, searing and lyrical as any that we may ever encounter."
Indeed, this is a volume that one simply must have.
Author | William Shakespeare & Neil L. Rudenstine |
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About The Author | Neil L. Rudenstine is a noted literary scholar with a long-spanning career dedicated to educational administration. He was the President of Harvard from 1991 to 2001, and is now Chairman of the Advisory Board for ARTstor. |
Dimensions | 6 5/8" x 9" |
Edition | This volume commemorating the William Shakespeare Quadricentennial presents The Folger Shakespeare Library text, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, with Michael Poston and Rebecca Niles. It is set in Jenson and printed letterpress in a limited edition of:
FULL LEATHER WITH JEWELS: 1 copy only printed on blue paper, bound in blue morocco set with sapphires copy only printed on blue paper, bound in blue morocco set with sapphires (OUT OF PRINT) 6 copies printed on rose paper, bound in purple morocco set with amethysts copies printed on rose paper, bound in purple morocco set with amethysts (OUT OF PRINT) 1 copy only printed on ivory paper, bound in yellow morocco set with citrines copy only printed on ivory paper, bound in yellow morocco set with citrines (OUT OF PRINT) 6 copies printed on cream paper, bound in scarlet morocco set with carnelians copies printed on cream paper, bound in scarlet morocco set with carnelians (OUT OF PRINT) HALF-LEATHER: One hundred printed on felt paper, bound in half-leather with paste paper HALF-CLOTH: Three hundred printed on vellum paper, bound in cloth and letterpress printed boards PAPER: One hundred fifty printed on vellum paper, bound letterpress printed paper wrappers |
Price View | Price Range |