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Winner of Best Book, Publication, or Recording prize at the Falstaff Awards 2015
Shortlisted for the 2016 SLA Information Book Award
The Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary is the first of its kind, a brand new illustrated alphabetical dictionary of all the words and meanings students of Shakespeare need to know. Every word has an example sentence selected from the twelve most studied plays, including Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Henry V. Usage notes and theatre notes provide additional background to Shakespearean times and the
performance of his plays. Further support is provided by language panels on select topics like the humours, swearing, and stage directions, and full-colour illustrated thematic spreads on special feature topics from clothes and armour to music and recreation. The dictionary is easy to use with its clear signposting, accessible design, and expertly
levelled contemporary look and feel. It is the perfect support for a full understanding of Shakespeare, created by renowned authors Professor David Crystal and actor Ben Crystal, a father and son team who combine for the first time the academic and the theatre, bringing together language, literature, and lexicography in this unique Shakespeare dictionary of global appeal.
About the author
David Crystal is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language. He has published extensively on the history and development of English, including The Stories of English (2004), Evolving English (2010), Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language (2010), The Story of English in 100 Words (2011), Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling (2012), and Wordsmiths and Warriors: The English-Language Tourist's Guide to Britain (with Hilary Crystal, 2013).
Ben Crystal is an actor, writer, and producer. Along with books co-written with his father, he wrote a series of introductions to Shakespeare's plays for Arden called Springboard Shakespeare and his Shakespeare on Toast was shortlisted for the Educational Writer of the Year Award. He and his ensemble perform Shakespeare in original pronunciation (OP) and give workshops around the world.
Summary
Winner of Best Book, Publication, or Recording prize at the Falstaff Awards 2015 and shortlisted for the 2016 SLA Information Book Award. This innovative dictionary is written by leading experts in linguistics and Shakespeare, David and Ben Crystal. It provides students with invaluable support while they read and understand Shakespeare's plays.
Foreword
Comprehensive dictionary for studying Shakespeare at school and at home
Additional text
"It's a joyful celebration as much as an aid to teaching and learning and affectionate as it is scholarly"
Report
"Sometimes you find a book and think, 'Why didn't someone do this years ago?' The answer is probably that no-one else could have approached the job or seen it through to completion so magnificently. This is much more than a valuable resource to make Shakespeare's vocabulary accessible to students; it is so crammed with delicious snippets that it is a delight to browse." UK Literacy Association (UKLA)
