SHAKESPEARE, CO-AUTHOR: A Historical Study of Five Collaborative Plays.

First edition, first printing. Original blue cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in dustwrapper. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, the contents, except for a small red ink mark to the upper corner of the front free endpaper, clean throughout. In the dustwrapper, fine except for a touch of creasing to the upper spine tip.

Brian Vickers' deeply informed study of Shakespeare's collaborations with fellow authors begins by reviewing the available evidence for the processes of co-authorship during the period, along with the methodologies used to identify them. This is followed by detailed analyses of the five collaborative plays, discussing every significant case made for and against Shakespeare's co-authorship. Synthesising two centuries of discussion, Vickers reveals a solidly based scholarly tradition, building on and extending previous work, identifying the co-authors' contributions in increasing detail and presenting compelling evidence that Shakespeare wrote 'Titus Andronicus' together with George Peele, 'Timon of Athens' with Thomas Middleton, 'Pericles' with George Wilkins, and 'Henry VIII' and 'The Two Noble Kinsmen' with John Fletcher (adapted from the jacket). "Vickers is an extremely engaging writer. [His] work is exemplary in its logic, historical grounding, and inclusiveness, and it is certain to be the definitive book on its subject for the foreseeable future." (Renaissance Quarterly)