William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwicksh on April 23rd, 1564 and passed away at the age of 51 on April 23rd, 1616.

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William Shakespeare Stats: The highest rated book by William Shakespeare on Book Notification is As You Like It, the 10th novel in the Comedy Plays series. The second-highest rated book is Richard III (History Plays #9).

The most read book by William Shakespeare on Book Notification is Romeo and Juliet, the 4th novel in the Tragedy Plays series. The second most read book is Macbeth (Tragedy Plays #7).

Below is a complete list of William Shakespeare books in publication and chronological order, broken down by series. The most popular series by William Shakespeare is the Tragedy Plays.

List of Comedy Plays in Publication Order

Ranked by popularity, the top plays are A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Tempest.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8.3
The Tempest
1593
Go
2
8
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
1594
Go
3
The Merry Wives of Windsor
1594
Go
4
8
Measure for Measure
1594
Go
5
6.7
The Comedy of Errors
1594
Go
6
7.9
Much Ado About Nothing
1595
Go
7
6.4
Love's Labour's Lost
1595
Go
8
7.8
A Midsummer Night's Dream
1595
Go
9
8
The Merchant of Venice
1598
Go
10
8.7
As You Like It
1599
Go
11
7.3
The Taming of the Shrew
1599
Go
12
6
All's Well That Ends Well
1604
Go
13
7.9
Twelfth Night
1605
Go
14
6
The Winter's Tale
1605
Go
15
10
Pericles
1606
Go
16
The Two Noble Kinsmen
1634
Go

Order of plays is based on the First Folio.

List of History Plays in Publication Order

Classic plays of William Shakespeare, with all his works collected.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
5
King John
1590
Go
2
7
Richard II
1590
Go
3
Henry IV, Part I
1590
Go
4
8
Henry IV, Part 2
1590
Go
5
8
Henry V
1591
Go
6
Henry VI, Part 1
1596
Go
7
Henry VI, Part 2
1597
Go
8
Henry VI, Part 3
1597
Go
9
8.3
Richard III
1597
Go
10
8
Henry VIII
1597
Go
11
Edward III
1598
Go

List of Tragedy Plays in Publication Order

Shakespeare's classic tragedies collected.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
4
Troilus and Cressida
1592
Go
2
8
Coriolanus
1593
Go
3
6
Titus Andronicus
1594
Go
4
7.3
Romeo and Juliet
1595
Go
5
Timon of Athens
1596
Go
6
7.6
Julius Caesar
1599
Go
7
7.5
Macbeth
1600
Go
8
8.3
Hamlet
1603
Go
9
7.7
King Lear
1605
Go
10
7.2
Othello
1605
Go
11
8
Antony and Cleopatra
1606
Go
12
Cymbeline
1610
Go

List of Collections in Publication Order (with Emily Sutton)

Ranked by popularity, the top collections are The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare, The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, and The Prince's Choice.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
8
The Prince's Choice
1995
Go
2
7.3
The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare
1998
Go
3
9
The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare
2000
Go
4
The Complete Works
2005
Go
5
10
The Complete Sonnets and Poems
2006
Go
6
6
Poetry for Kids
2018
Go
7
6.3
Shakespeare's First Folio: All The Plays (With: Emily Sutton)
2024
Go

List of Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Books in Publication Order

Compact hardcovers containing sonnets, narrative poems, songs, and speeches from select writers.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
Herbert: Poems ( By: George Herbert)
1671
Go
2
Wordsworth: Poems ( By: William Wordsworth)
1802
Go
3
Byron: Poems ( By: Lord Byron)
1816
Go
4
10
Keats: Poems ( By: John Keats)
1817
Go
5
Blake: Poems ( By: William Blake)
1827
Go
6
Coleridge: Poems ( By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
1834
Go
7
Tennyson: Poems ( By: Alfred Tennyson)
1892
Go
8
Kipling: Poems (By: Rudyard Kipling)
1907
Go
9
Milton: Poems ( By: John Milton)
1936
Go
10
Baudelaire: Poems ( By: Charles Baudelaire)
1942
Go
11
Eliot: Poems (By: T.S. Eliot)
1955
Go
12
Shakespeare: Poems
1958
Go
13
Hardy: Poems ( By: Thomas Hardy)
1977
Go
14
Shelley: Poems ( By: Percy Bysshe Shelley)
1993
Go
15
Rossetti: Poems ( By: Christina Rossetti)
1993
Go
16
Donne: Poems ( By: John Donne)
1995
Go
17
Browning: Poems (By: Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
1997
Go
18
Frost: Poems ( By: Robert Frost)
1997
Go
19
Marvell: Poems ( By: Andrew Marvell)
2004
Go
20
Emerson: Poems (By: Ralph Waldo Emerson)
2004
Go
21
Burns: Poems (By: Robert Burns)
2006
Go
22
Mozart: Letters ( By: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
2007
Go
23
Robinson: Poems (By: Edwin Arlington Robinson)
2007
Go
24
Millay: Poems (By: Edna St. Vincent Millay)
2010
Go
25
The Best of Archy and Mehitabel (By: Don Marquis)
2011
Go
26
Rumi: Poems (By: Jalaluddin Rumi)
2019
Go
27
Cold Mountain Poems (By: Hanshan)
2024
Go
Show All Books in this Series

List of Poetry for Young People Books in Publication Order

Presents celebrated poets' works with illustrations and annotations for young readers.

ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
6
Walt Whitman (By: Walt Whitman)
1977
Go
2
6
Robert Frost ( By: Robert Frost)
1994
Go
3
6
Emily Dickinson ( By: Emily Dickinson)
1994
Go
4
8
Edgar Allan Poe (By: Edgar Allan Poe)
1995
Go
5
8
Carl Sandburg (By: Carl Sandburg)
1995
Go
6
8
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ( By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
1998
Go
7
8
Edna St. Vincent Millay (By: Edna St. Vincent Millay)
1999
Go
8
8
Robert Louis Stevenson (By: Robert Louis Stevenson)
2000
Go
9
8
William Shakespeare
2000
Go
10
4
Lewis Carroll ( By: Lewis Carroll)
2000
Go
11
6
Rudyard Kipling ( By: Rudyard Kipling)
2000
Go
12
Edward Lear (By: Edward Lear)
2001
Go
13
American Poetry (By: John Hollander)
2002
Go
14
8
William Butler Yeats ( By: W.B. Yeats)
2002
Go
15
10
Robert Browning (By: Robert Browning)
2003
Go
16
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
2003
Go
17
William Wordsworth ( By: William Wordsworth)
2003
Go
18
Alfred Tennyson ( By: Alfred Tennyson)
2003
Go
19
William Carlos Williams ( By: William Carlos Williams)
2003
Go
20
Animal Poems (By: John Hollander)
2004
Go
21
Wallace Stevens (By: Wallace Stevens)
2004
Go
22
The Seasons (By: John N. Serio)
2004
Go
23
Langston Hughes ( By: Langston Hughes)
2006
Go
24
William Blake ( By: William Blake)
2007
Go
25
8
Poetry for Young People (By: Maya Angelou)
2007
Go
26
Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg (By: Carl Sandburg)
2008
Go
27
African American Poetry (By: Karen Barbour)
2013
Go
28
8
Poetry for Kids: Walt Whitman (By: Walt Whitman)
2017
Go
Show All Books in this Series

List of William Shakespeare Anthologies in Publication Order

#ReadTitle Avg.YearBook Link
1
On Suicide: Great Writers on the Ultimate Question
1992
Go
2
100 Best-Loved Poems
1995
Go
3
World's Greatest Poems
2015
Go
4
Winter: A Folio Anthology
2016
Go
5
8
Writers: Their Lives and Works
2018
Go
6
50 Masterpieces You Have To Read Before You Die Vol. 1
2020
Go
Show All Anthologies
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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564. William passed away April 23rd, 1616 at 51 years old. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwicksh.

William Shakespeare is known for writing in the Poetry, Plays, and Classics genres.

William Shakespeare was the author of the Comedy Plays series which consists of 16 novels. The Comedy Plays series started in 1593 with the novel The Tempest. The most recently released novel in the Comedy Plays series was The Two Noble Kinsmen which was released in 1634. There are no upcoming novels for the Comedy Plays series.

William Shakespeare also wrote the Tragedy Plays series which has 12 books including Troilus and Cressida and Coriolanus.

William Shakespeare: Awards & Accolades

Shakespeare's book, The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare won the Audie Award, Best Audio Drama, in 2004.

William Shakespeare books have also been nominated for multiple awards, The Prince's Choice was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Narration by the Author, in 1997 as well as the Audie Award - Best Multi-Voiced Narration in 1997. The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Multi-Voiced Narration, in 2001. King Lear was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Audio Drama, in 2003. The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare was nominated for the Audie Award, Audiobook of the Year, in 2004. Shakespeare's First Folio: All The Plays was nominated for the Waterstones, Book of the Year, in 2024.

William Shakespeare: Lists & Other Mentions

  • Henry IV, Part I: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Henry IV, Part 2: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Henry V: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • The Tempest: National Book Foundation: 100 Life-Changing Books Selection in 2006.
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • The Comedy of Errors: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream: National Book Foundation: 100 Life-Changing Books Selection in 2006.
  • Richard III: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Macbeth: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Othello: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Julius Caesar: Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • Romeo and Juliet:
    1. Book Riot: From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books Selection in 2013.
    2. Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
  • The Complete Works: Ex Libris: 100 Books to Read and Reread Selection in 2020.
  • Hamlet:
    1. Book Riot: From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books Selection in 2013.
    2. Time Magazine: The 10 Greatest Books of All Time Selection in 2007.
    3. Gilmore Girls: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge Selection in 2007.
    4. Refinery29: The Ultimate Book Bucket List Selection in 2023.

Shakespeare's Sonnets were listed on The Telegraph's The Perfect Library in 2008.

Related Authors

Fans of William Shakespeare also enjoy these authors:

  1. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of the Don Quixote Series.
  2. Oscar Wilde, author of: The Picture of Dorian Gray.
  3. Edgar Allan Poe, author of the Edgar Allan Poe Tales.
  4. Albert Camus, author of: The Outsider / The Stranger.
  5. Thomas Hardy, author of: Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
  6. Dante Alighieri, author of the Dante Alighieri Poetry.
  7. J.M. Barrie, author of the Peter Pan Series.
  8. Dodie Smith, author of: I Capture the Castle.
  9. Anne Brontë, author of: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
  10. Sophocles, author of Theban Plays Series.

William Shakespeare: F.A.Q

When was William Shakespeare Born?

William Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564.

When did William Shakespeare die?

William Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616 at 51 years old.

Where was William Shakespeare Born?

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwicksh.

What book awards has William Shakespeare won?

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: Audie Award: Best Audio Drama (2004).

What was the first book William Shakespeare wrote?

The first book written by William Shakespeare was King John, published in 1590.

What was the most recent book William Shakespeare wrote?

His most recently released work was Shakespeare's First Folio: All The Plays on May 7th, 2024.

What is the most popular book by William Shakespeare?

Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular William Shakespeare book is Romeo and Juliet. Here are his most popular books and their average ratings:
  1. Romeo and Juliet (7.34)
  2. Macbeth (7.47)
  3. Hamlet (8.25)
  4. A Midsummer Night's Dream (7.82)
  5. Othello (7.17)

What genres does William Shakespeare Write?

William Shakespeare primarily writes in the Classics, Plays, and Poetry genres. His work includes sub-genres such as British Classics, Comedy Plays, and Sonnets.

How many books has William Shakespeare written?

William Shakespeare has written 48 books across 12 series and categories, excluding contributions to anthologies.
  • 16 Comedy Plays
  • 11 History Plays
  • 12 Tragedy Plays
  • 1 book in the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series
  • 7 Collections
  • 1 book in the Poetry for Young People Series

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