An absolutely joyous, gasp-out-loud achievement. - Stephen Fry
Shakespeare's flame is infectious. An olympic torch, for us all, to be enlightened, words which share the shadow and light of humanity's hues. - LionHeart, artist, poet and BBC Radio London presenter
Silver Medal Winner at the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards. Shakespeare had an ear and hand that was able to capture our everyday thoughts and emotions, pin them to a page, and express them so well that still today they can make us feel stunned to be seen.
'Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.''Make not your thoughts your prisons.'
'Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.'
'And I have heard it said, unbidden guests are often welcomest when they're gone.'
With a quote for every day of the year, this beautiful book gathers the finest lines from the lesser-known corners of Shakespeare's plays and poems. While you may not be familiar with these 400-year-old phrases, you will be surprised by the immediate, easy resonance they have with modern day-to-day life and, hopefully, inspired to learn a few quotes, say them out loud, and drop them into conversation.
Each page bears a gift of Shakespearean delight - around which lies a treasure trove of trivia, miscellaneous fact, and opportunities for reflection.
The Crystals - son and father - draw attention to points of daily life, literary, linguistic, and theatrical interest through their entertaining
commentary. They offer notes of
context for anyone who wants to know who originally said the words, in which play, and why. And finally, the authors provide
three indexes, allowing readers to help find the right quote for a task, or to follow-up on a quote's original source.
Shakespeare's words are a mirror for us to peer into, to see if any part of ourselves, familiar or strange, is visible. Each day as you read his lines, you'll get glimpses of loves you've known, jealousies you've felt, relationships you've had, and situations you've encountered that bring a smile - or a wince - of familiarity.
Everyday Shakespeare shares the simple lines that encapsulate the wondrous complexity of life, and the enduring appeal of the Bard.
Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time. - Ben Jonson
Industry Reviews
Oh, boy... this book is masterpiece! I truly appreciate this kind of content, when you make some kind of reflections about an author's titles and extract lessons that we can apply in our day to day. And Shakespeare has A LOT of good quotes the reader can get caught up in learning. The narrative is clear, intuitve and easy to be read each day, as is its purpose. Well Done! - NetGalley
I am a long time fan of Shakespeare and this is an accessible way for those who may not be as familiar to get into his work. I enjoyed that it was a line a day for a year and I liked the explanation of where it comes from. Overall I think this is a great collection. - NetGalley
I think that Shakespeare is food for thought. This daily collection of daily quotes gives a chance to taste the power, wit, and wisdom of WS's poems and plays. The idea is to cover areas of life that are significant for all of us and are expressed in language that is always striking, effective, and memorable. We can chew on a single daily quotation in context every day, or we can also browse through book at random. Whichever choice the student or the simple reader will find something that will inspire, intrigue and amuse. - NetGalley
As a Shakespeare lover, I adore the concept of this book. It's a book I could easily see myself keeping on the side of my desk or on a coffee table, reaching for it during that time of day when I suddenly remember, "Oh! What is today's Shakespeare quote?" I could also see it working well as a memorization tool for Shakespeare fans; selecting one quote a day to read and focus on is a great way to build up one's arsenal of reference quotes over time. People who love Shakespeare can appreciate this book as a tool for that. It reminded me of a similar book called A YEAR AND A DAY OF EVERYDAY WITCHCRAFT, which assigns a "witchy" element or trivia to each day of the year for a reader to apply and reflect on. I really liked the little insights and explanations that the writers provided on each page below the quote. They always felt generous and to the point. The pages I enjoyed most were the ones that kept it simple: the quote, a brief interpretation, and the context provided at the bottom of the page. I love that the authors left some quotes to speak for themselves with no explanation. That white space held a nice silence, a space to reflect and trigger one's private interpretations. If I saw this book in a store, I would buy it. I love Shakespeare, and I LOVE the idea of what this book is offering to Shakespeare fans. - NetGalley
