A tantalizing true story of one of literature’s most enduring enigmas is at the heart of this “lively, even sprightly book” (Michael Dirda, The Washington Post)—the quest to find the personal library of the world’s greatest writer. Millions of words of scholarship have been expended on the world’s most famous author and his work. And yet a critical part of the puzzle, Shakespeare’s library, is a mystery. For four centuries people have searched for it: in mansions, palaces and libraries; in riverbeds, sheep pens and partridge coops; and in the corridors of the mind. Yet no trace of the bard’s manuscripts, books or letters has ever been found. The search for Shakespeare’s library is much more than a treasure hunt. Knowing what the Bard read informs our reading of his work, and it offers insight into the mythos of Shakespeare and the debate around authorship. The library’s fate has profound implications for literature, for national and cultural identity, and for the global Shakespeare industry. It bears on fundamental principles of art, identity, history, meaning and truth. Unfolding the search like the mystery story that it is, acclaimed author Stuart Kells follows the trail of the hunters, taking us through different conceptions of the library and of the man himself. Entertaining and enlightening, Shakespeare’s Library is a captivating exploration of one of literature’s most enduring enigmas. "An engaging and provocative contribution to the unending world of Shakespeariana . . . An enchanting work that bibliophiles will savor and Shakespeare fans adore." ―Kirkus Reviews

Publisher Description

An international team of scholars covers every aspect of one of the most famous books in the English language.

Typographies of Performance in Early Modern England is the first book-length study of early modern English playbook typography. It tells a new history of drama from the period by considering the page designs of plays by Shakespeare and others printed between the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century. It argues that typography, broadly conceived, was used creatively by printers, publishers, playwrights, and other agents of the book trade to make the effects of theatricality—from the most basic (textually articulating a change in speaker) to the more complex (registering the kinesis of bodies on stage)—intelligible on the page. The coalescence of these experiments into a uniquely dramatic typography that was constantly responsive to performance effects made it possible for 'plays' to be marketed, collected, and read in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as a print genre distinct from all other genres of imaginative writing. It has been said, 'If a play is a book, it is not a play.' Typographies of Performance in Early Modern England shows that 'play' and 'book' were, in fact, mutually constitutive: it was the very bookishness of plays printed in early modern England that allowed them to be recognized by their earliest readers as plays in the first place.

A scrupulous study of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and its most comprehensive rewriting Indigo, or Mapping the Waters by Marina Warner. Taking as its focus representations of femininity and the other, the study scrutinises the various implications of three concepts: ambivalence, liminality and plurality in terms of their relevance to the conjunctures of postfeminism and post-colonialism, proposing that postfeminist discourse is in search of a new ethics and perspective that mainly champion these three terms through the employment of intertextuality as a strategy. The study is careful to carry out a comparative analysis of the works in terms of both poetics and politics. Informed by interdisciplinarity, the study explores how The Tempest destabilises itself, inviting a deconstructionist reading in terms of its relation to patriarchal and colonial dynamics ingrained in the play and how Indigo takes its substantial space among other rewritings of The Tempest by presenting new and imaginative ways of seeing the female and feminised figures in the play.

As libraries transition into the digital age, they encounter a pressing challenge: outdated information systems hinder their ability to meet the diverse needs of patrons. Traditional library management systems struggle to cope with the demands of modern users, resulting in inefficient resource allocation, limited accessibility, and disjointed user experiences. This disconnect between antiquated systems and evolving user expectations poses a significant barrier to libraries striving to remain relevant in an increasingly digital world. Improving Library Systems with AI: Applications, Approaches, and Bibliometric Insights presents a comprehensive solution to this pressing problem. By integrating modern digital tools and technologies, libraries can revolutionize their information systems, enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and user satisfaction. This book offers practical insights and strategies for modernizing library services and operations, from digitizing physical resources to implementing advanced search algorithms and data analytics. Librarians, administrators, and technology providers will find invaluable guidance on navigating the complexities of digital transformation and maximizing the impact of their efforts.