Hailed in The Washington Post Book World as "a definitive synthesis of the best editions of recent decades," the massive one-volume Oxford Shakespeare was based on eight years of full-time research by a team of distinguished British and American scholars. The result of the most fundamental rethinking of the text and presentation of Shakespeare's works ever undertaken, it offered many remarkable innovations features, including a new chronological order, revised stage directions, modern spelling and punctuation, and two full versions of King Lear--as originally written and as revised later for performance. The Complete Oxford Shakespeare divides this excellent book into three handy volumes. It contains all the innovative features of the original, including a lucid General Introduction by Stanley Wells, and brief introductions to each work. It has been organized into Histories (including the poems and sonnets), Comedies, and Tragedies, with the plays grouped in chronological order in each volume. Attractively bound, with gold stamping on front and spine, and beautifully designed, these handsome volumes will undoubtably become a treasure for lovers of Shakespeare throughout the English-speaking world.