Shakespeare: Single Editions or Complete Edition?

[ajvenigalla]

Which is usually better when buying Shakespeare for personal enjoyment?

are single editions of individual plays better than a complete Shakespeare edition? I have a complete RSC Shakespeare, and I have a couple of single edition Shakespeare plays.

So what do you find better?

[OrphanPip]

Which is usually better when buying Shakespeare for personal enjoyment?

are single editions of individual plays better than a complete Shakespeare edition? I have a complete RSC Shakespeare, and I have a couple of single edition Shakespeare plays.

So what do you find better?

It depends what you're looking for. If you're buying it simply to read without much need of secondary scholarship or scholarly glosses you probably get more value from your money for a complete edition. If you're looking for that scholarly apparatus, then the single editions tend to be better for the depth of additional resources available to you.

[sandy14]

Which is usually better when buying Shakespeare for personal enjoyment?

are single editions of individual plays better than a complete Shakespeare edition? I have a complete RSC Shakespeare, and I have a couple of single edition Shakespeare plays.

So what do you find better?

If you want something to read when you are out and about a digital version, or single versions are easy to carry. The Arden version of Romeo & Juliet I have is quite sumptuous with lots of notes, essays and scans of the original Quattro. The complete editions I have contain few notes, but that said the search function is quite useful on a digital edition for study if you want to find a quotation.

If you are buying a physical edition, make sure you are happy with the print size. Some complete works stint on the print size.