"An Edition on a plan which differs altogether from that adopted by any; a plan so excellent in itself, and so well carried out, that we have no hesitation in saying that it is likely to be, when completed, the most useful one to the scholar and intelligent reader which has yet appeared."—Athenæum.
"We regard the appearance of the Cambridge Shakespeare as an epoch in editing the works of the foremost man in the dramatic world. Besides many positive virtues in this edition, the hitherto prevailing errors are avoided. The gross blunders and unauthorized fancies of generations of editors are banished from the text; the more tolerable or the less noxious conjectures are removed to the notes; space is allowed and justice is rendered to all former labourers in the editorial field. He who is indifferent to verbal criticism may read in peace an orthodox text; and he who is curious in such matters will find various readings supplied to him in full measure."—Saturday Review.
"There were, indeed, plenty of editions of Shakespeare, great and small, with plenty of notes small and great, but a critical text founded at once upon the exhaustive collation of all existing sources, and upon the immense mass of learning and conjecture accumulated by Shakespearian scholars, was absolutely wanting."—Spectator.
"The very edition so long needed, and the most perfect that has ever been produced.... The Shakespearian collection given by Capell to Trinity Library, Cambridge, supplies, say the editors, a mass of materials almost unrivalled in amount and value, and in some points unique; and they have thus enjoyed facilities for the execution of their task which few besides could have possessed.... Not only will this Cambridge Shakespeare be the choice of numbers who must be content with a single copy for the shelf and fireside, but all lovers of the dramatist will be compelled and will be eager to add it to the collection of best editions they may already have acquired."—Nonconformist.
"A work which, when complete, will deserve to take its place as the Library Edition of Shakespeare. While the greater part of the contents can never grow old, it will have a value far superior to that of a conjecturally amended text, or a simple reprint of the first folio. It shows us, with singular conciseness and clearness, how much, or how little, previous editors have been able to do for the text, and thus gives us the results of many men's labours.... We have the result of the latest investigations without the pain of seeing critic or commentator struggling over the text of Shakespeare."—Guardian.
"Hitherto the ordinary reader has never been able to ascertain for himself the extent to which the original text of the poet has been tampered with, or even to apportion to various emendators the proper share of merit due to them for their conjectures. The Cambridge Shakespeare supplies them the means of solving both these problems, and will thus enable the ordinary reader to construct, as it were, a text for himself. So careful and extensive a collation of texts as that made in this edition has rarely, if ever, been made with respect to ancient author of Greece or Rome."—Daily News.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Dramatis Personæ] First given by Rowe.
[2] Petruchio] Petrucio Knight. Petruccio Ritson conj.
[3] Grumio Grunnio] S. Walker conj.