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A landmark in Shakespeare studies, this version of The Complete Oxford Shakespeare is the first critical edition of the complete works in the original spelling and punctuation. It is based on the most thorough examination ever undertaken of the nature and authority of the earliest manuscripts, representing eight years of work by a team of British and American scholars. The works are arranged in conjectural order of composition based on the new research, and where the opportunity for choice existed, the spelling and punctuation of the text closest to Shakespeare's own manuscript has been chosen. With this Original Spelling Edition scholars and general readers have for the first time-- BL The uncensored text of Henry IV and the original titles of three other plays BL Edited texts of King Lear both as Shakespeare originally wrote it and as it was revised for performance years later Additional features include-- BL Major textual alternatives--first versions and deleted lines--are printed as additional passages BL Stage directions have been reconsidered in light of the play's original staging and many directions have been added BL Conjectural stage directions and speech prefixes are identified in brackets BL A general introduction, brief introductions to each work, and an essay on the language of Shakespeare's time are provided