“The following Tales are meant to be submitted to the young reader as an introduction to the study of Shakespeare, for which purpose his words are used whenever it seemed possible to bring them in; and in whatever has been added to give them the regular form of a connected story, diligent care has been taken to select such words as might least interrupt the effect of the beautiful English tongue in which he wrote: therefore, words introduced into our language since his time have been as far as possible avoided.” (Charles and Mary Lamb from The Preface - “Tales from Shakespeare,” 1807).
This collection includes twenty of Shakespeare’s plays which are uniquely and faithfully re-told as prose stories. Over the years it has become invaluable as a resource for Students, Actors, and those who are simply interested in initially familiarizing themselves and understanding the plots of Shakespeare’s work.
Charles Lamb (1774–1834) was a nineteenth-century English poet and essayist. His first poems appeared in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's collection Poems on Various Subjects, and his early epigrams, plays, and essays were printed in such publications as the Albion, the Morning Chronicle, and the Morning Post. Lamb also collaborated with his sister, Mary, on many works, including Tales from Shakespeare, as well as with Charles Lloyd on Blank Verse.
Mary Lamb (1764 –1847) was an English writer, the sister and collaborator of Charles Lamb. She is best known today for her collaboration with Charles on the collection Tales from Shakespeare. She and Charles presided over a literary circle in London that included the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, among others.
Chris MacDonnell is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a classically trained actor and voice artist whose theater credits include London’s West End and the Royal National Theatre, British TV shows, BBC Radio drama, commercials, and films. He is also a published poet and has written comedy and drama for television shows.