Tales from Shakespeare (Puffin Classics) [Paperback] by Lamb, Charles ; Lamb
Worth buying if: You enjoy Charles Lamb’s conversational narrator voice and Mary Lamb’s domestic sensibility.
Skip it if: You expect verbatim Shakespearean language throughout rather than paraphrase and summary.
Exact edition: Paperback · ISBN-13 9780140366778. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
Tales from Shakespeare collects Charles and Mary Lamb’s clear, affectionate prose adaptations of Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies, pairing narrative clarity with key lines and moments for younger readers and general audiences.
Why this book now
Penguin’s Puffin Classics edition keeps the Lambs’ 19th-century adaptations in print for families, classrooms, and anyone revisiting Shakespeare without reading every original play.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You enjoy Charles Lamb’s conversational narrator voice and Mary Lamb’s domestic sensibility.
- You want condensed versions of Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and other Shakespeare plays.
- You expect verbatim Shakespearean language throughout rather than paraphrase and summary.
- You need a scholarly edition with extensive footnotes, theatrical criticism, or original folio text.
- You need the newest edition, freshest examples, or the most current framing.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Paperback · ISBN-13 9780140366778
Worth buying if: You enjoy Charles Lamb’s conversational narrator voice and Mary Lamb’s domestic sensibility.
Skip it if: You expect verbatim Shakespearean language throughout rather than paraphrase and summary.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Steady Needs some room
At 368 pages, this paperback is a moderate commitment—readable chapter-by-chapter: one play retelling per sitting makes it suitable for evenings, lessons, or family reading.
What stands out here
This Puffin Classics paperback presents the Lambs’ original 1807‑style retellings in a durable modern edition from Penguin, highlighting readable prose rather than academic apparatus.
Best way to approach it
Approach the book as storytelling: read individual play-tales aloud or follow a favorite Shakespeare title, then return to the original play for key scenes and lines.
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Paperback: ISBN-13 9780140366778
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.