Brandon Toropov. Illustrated by Joe Lee.
 
Shakespeare For Beginners opens with the
observation that Shakespeare’s genius is not
in his (or England’s) history, it’s in his words,
most notably, his plays—in his brilliant stories,
unforgettable characters, and the impossible
beauty of his language. So it skips the historical
foreplay and goes straight to Shakespeare’s
plays. The book offers clear, concise descriptions
and plot summaries of each play; it lists key
phrases and important themes, explains the main
ideas behind each work and features excerpt of
important passages. And it is the only ‘entry level’
book available outside Great Britain that covers all
of his plays.