The complete works

"William Shakespeare: the Complete Works", first published in 1986, is presented here in a compact format. This new edition re-examines the original documents and includes recent findings of textual scholarship. The works are given in chronological order, original titles have been restored and the canon has been rethought permitting the inclusion of "The Two Noble Kinsmen" and some generally unfamiliar short poems. "King Lear" is printed both as Shakespeare originally wrote it and as he revised it some years later. Other plays, too, are based on what new research has identified as Shakespeare's revised, more theatrical text. Stage directions have been reconsidered in the light of the plays' original staging, and spelling and punctuation have been modernized. Stanley Wells has written the general introduction and an introduction to each individual work. He and Gary Taylor are the general editors while each of the four editors has undertaken prime responsibility for certain works.