The Age of Shakespeare

Editor: Boris Ford

Series: A Pelican Book

Publisher: Penguin Books

Edition: 1962

Binding: Paperback

Pages: 480

Size: 4.5 × 0.5 × 7 inches

Language: English

The Age of Shakespeare forms part of the influential literary tradition of A Pelican Book, the Penguin series known for making serious literary, historical, and cultural scholarship accessible to a broad readership. Edited by Boris Ford, the volume examines Shakespeare within the larger literary culture of his period rather than treating his works in isolation.

The age of Shakespeare was one of significant transformation in English cultural life. The late Elizabethan and early Jacobean periods witnessed major developments in poetry, drama, prose, and theatre. London became an important centre of theatrical activity, while writers, poets, dramatists, and intellectuals contributed to a rapidly developing literary culture. Understanding this environment provides important context for approaching Shakespeare’s plays and poetry.

The volume is particularly useful for readers interested in the relationship between Shakespearean drama and Renaissance England. Shakespeare’s work emerged alongside a wider theatrical tradition involving numerous dramatists and performers. The period also saw the establishment and growth of professional theatres, creating new opportunities for dramatic writing and performance.

As an edited literary volume, The Age of Shakespeare provides a broader cultural framework for studying the period. Rather than functioning simply as a collection of Shakespeare’s works, it can be approached as a historical and literary companion to the world in which Shakespeare wrote. The subject therefore extends beyond individual plays to questions of literary development, theatre, society, and the intellectual atmosphere of Renaissance England.

The book is also valuable for students and general readers studying Elizabethan and Jacobean literature. Its substantial 480-page format makes it a considerably more extensive volume than a brief introduction, offering a broad survey of the literary age associated with Shakespeare.

This 1962 Penguin Books Pelican paperback edition is also of interest to collectors of vintage Penguin publications. The compact paperback format, 480-page extent, and association with Boris Ford make it a representative example of mid-twentieth-century Penguin literary publishing.

• Title: The Age of Shakespeare
• Editor: Boris Ford
• Series: A Pelican Book
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Edition: 1962
• Binding: Paperback
• Pages: 480
• Size: 4.5 × 0.5 × 7 inches
• Language: English
• Subject: Shakespeare, Renaissance literature, Elizabethan literature, Jacobean literature, English drama and theatre
• Format: Vintage Penguin / Pelican paperback
• Ideal for: Shakespeare scholars, literature students, theatre enthusiasts, collectors of Penguin books, and readers of English literary history

🔹 Collector’s Note

This 1962 Pelican Book edition of The Age of Shakespeare is an appealing vintage Penguin paperback for collectors interested in Shakespearean studies and twentieth-century literary publishing. Edited by Boris Ford, the substantial 480-page volume represents the Pelican tradition of presenting literary and cultural subjects in accessible paperback form. It is particularly suitable for collections focusing on Shakespeare, English Renaissance literature, theatre history, and vintage Penguin and Pelican Books.