The Friendly Shakespeare

Recently I picked up a used copy of a book by Norrie Epstein entitled The Friendly Shakespeare.  The title was the immediate draw.  Skimming through it was enough to warrant grabbing it to add to my collection.  While not exactly a scholarly treatise, it is a great informal treatment of Shakespeare and his works.

Admittedly, things did not start out on a promising note with the book.  The subtitle, "A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard" does imply that it is a bit judgmental.  What constitutes "The Best"?  Apparently King John is not, as I discovered when I skimmed the book looking for information prior to viewing the play (see 4/12/15 post).  The section on Antony and Cleopatra was considerably more helpful.

As one might expect, the book has much material on Hamlet.  The design of the book is such that it is perfect for dropping in, reading a section or two and putting it aside for another time.  I'll add it to the collection entirely for that purpose.  If anything seems worthy of subsequent sharing, you'll see it here.