The Oxford Shakespeare The Oxford Shakespeare The Oxford Shakespeare is the range of editions of William Shakespeare's works produced by Oxford University Press. The Oxford Shakespeare is produced under the general editorship of Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor. Oxford University Press first published a complete works of Shakespeare in 1891. Entitled "The Complete Works", it was a single-volume modern-spelling edition edited by William James Craig. This 1891 text is not directly related to the series known as the "Oxford Shakespeare" today, which is freshly re-edited. The "Oxford Shakespeare" includes a "Complete Works" edited by John Jowett, William Montgomery, Gary Taylor and Stanley Wells,
The Plays of William Shakespeare no distinction made between the ancient reading, and the innovations of the editor; there is no reason given for any of the alterations which are made; the emendations of former editions are adopted without any acknowledgement, and few of the difficulties are removed which have hitherto embarrassed the readers of Shakespeare. The "Miscellaneous Observations" contains many of Johnson's early thoughts and theories on Shakespeare. For instance, Johnson thought that there was an uncanny power in Shakespeare's supernatural scenes and wrote, "He that peruses Shakespeare looks round alarmed and starts to find himself alone". At the end of the work, Johnson