Kathleen Kuiper

I was tempted by the name of the series that features this book: The Britannica Guids to Ancient Civilizations. With that 'Britannica'-label you immediately get the sense of solidity, academic foundation, synthesis, etc. And mind you, this is certainly a creditable overview of Mesopotamian history. One half covers what we classically understand by those first civilization(s): from about 4,000 BCE to about 320 BCE, but the other half is simply the historical account of the geographic description of Mesopotamia, in later times, when the classical Mesopotamian civilization(s) had long since gone up in smoke. The emphasis is certainly on synthesis, but you notice that the compilers have sometimes used a rough brush. Thus Ubaidians in the 4th millennium are presented as a separate, pre-Sumerian people, which is very odd. Even more worrisome is the discussion of the early dynastic form of government (early 3rd millennium): “Political power originally belonged to the citizens, but, as rivalry between the various city-states increased, each adopted the institution of kingship.” a Rousseauan lapse. In short: don't be fooled by that Britannica predicate!… (més)

This volume is from the Shakespeare: His Work and World series and is jam packed with information about the Bard. In six chapters it provides a history of comedy traced from its Greek origins and Aristotle to Shakespeare’s time and a chronological examination and synopses of Shakespeare’s comedies. The treatment is surprisingly in depth and scholarly for such a slim volume. Sidebars give the background of some important historical or fictional people who influenced Shakespeare as well as other influential works or plays. One of the sidebars is about cross-dressing in Shakespeare. Vivid photographs of various productions of the plays on stage as well as in movies are sprinkled throughout the volume. The last chapter describes the evolution of “Shakespeare’s playhouse,” the Globe Theatre to the present day. The book contains a table of contents, a glossary, index, and a bibliography. Student researchers will find this resource useful.… (més)

This is another volume in the Shakespeare: His Work and World series. Four of the five chapters are devoted to Shakespeare’s history plays rather than his poetry, but then there is much to say about his history plays. The controversies about the dating and publishing of his work are considered in some depth in the first chapter. Then the context of the history plays and synopses of each play is given. Colorful photos and reproductions of period artwork complement the narrative including movie or production stills of famous actors playing the different monarchs. Sidebars of famous characters in the plays as well as descriptions of the “real” king such as “The Real Richard II” are included to fill out the story of the plays. There is even a chapter about the music in the plays. The book includes a table of contents, index, glossary, and bibliography. There is a lot of information packed in this slim volume that will be useful to students writing research papers or literary criticism.… (més)