Gross, who is a writer, reviewer, and an editor at Oxford University Press, here offers a unique collection of quotes, excerpts, and poems about Shakespeare and his oeuvre as evidence of Shakespeare's extensive cultural influence. Gross has included quotes from philosophers, historians, composers, filmmakers, politicians, novelists, poets, and playwrights and grouped them into chapters by general motif, such as comments on Shakespeare the man or the poet, each writer's earliest experience of Shakespeare, or thoughts on specific plays and characters. All quotes and excerpts are presented as primary data and identified by author, source, and date. Gross adds enough information to place each quote in context but does not interpret or draw conclusions. Instead, readers are invited to draw their own conclusions as to what and how much cultural impact Shakespeare's literature has had. Indexes of plays and characters and of authors are also provided. This anthology is useful as either a collection of quotes about Shakespeare and his work or as springboard for further research. Since no other book takes this approach to Shakespeare's cultural influence, it is recommended for all academic and specialized libraries supporting extensive Shakespeare collections. Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ. Lib., Zanesville

The Wall Street Journal

"After Shakespeare is a wonderful idea thoughtfully executed, a book to spend hours browsing through or studying."