All the sonnets of Shakespeare /

Edmondson and Wells (scholars associated with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust) offer a clue to their accomplishment with the word "all" in the title of the volume. The editors expand the consideration of Shakespeare's sonnets beyond the 154 poems in the 1609 collection to include sonnets that appear in plays and other sources, resulting in a total of 182 poems. The editors arrange the poems in the order in which they were written, presenting the scope of Shakespeare's art while eliminating the temptation to extract autobiographical data from the romantic themes. This book is a gift to scholars and students. It offers information on the development and popularity of the sonnet and on Shakespeare's specific use of the form. In addition to arranging the sonnets in chronological order (pre-1582 to 1613) as definitively as existing evidence permits, the editors add notes and tables that identify thematic and content linkage and they name those to whom the sonnets are addressed. This study will prove valuable to all who specialize in Shakespearean topics. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Sister Marie Hubert Kealy, emerita, Immaculata University