The New Shakespeare (as it is commonly called) began to appear in 1921 with The Tempest, edited by the joint editors of the whole project, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and Professor John Dover Wilson. Since then the work has bone steadily forward; when 'Q' retired, Dr Dover Wilson carried on alone; as the series neared its end he enlisted the suppport of other distinguished English Shakespearean textual experts, whose names appear on the back of this jacket.

It offers, in a set of portable and attractive volumes (the original designer was the great American typographer Bruce Rogers) a text of the plays which takes account of the scholarship of the twentieth century - in which Dr Dover Wilson was a pioneer,. There are very full notes, introductions by the Editors, a Stage-History for each play and a most valuable glossary.

The publishers are confident that even after thirty years of new work on Shakespeare's text (and successive volumes have always taken account of it) this is still the best scholarly edition.
--front flap