The present book is the first volume in each of two new additions to the Nutshell Books stable; The Nutshell Shakespeare and the Nutshell ESL Readers series. The first three volumes in the Nutshell Shakespeare will present a retelling of the stories behind the plays; too many people, especially younger people, now find the language of the 16th. Century very difficult to understand and, as a result, the glories of Shakespeare remain a blank page to them. This first volume presents the stories behind the eleven Tragedies. The approach to the story telling has not being to write a prose version of the plays, rather to write the stories as if they were the material on which the plays are based. The overall aim is to retain the core story, and the trajectory of the drama, without cluttering it with the theatrical necessities of sub-plots and minor characters. The famous Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare, which was first published in 1807, presented the stories of twenty of the plays, especially written for children. Unfortunately, in the 21st. Century even the language of early 19th.Century England is difficult for many readers young and old today. Whilst many native speakers find the language of Shakespeare, and even the 19th. Century, difficult to understand, it is more or less incomprehensible to learners of English as a second language. This is true not only of Shakespeare but of the folk-tales, fairy tales and nursery rhymes that underpin the native speaker's command of the language. The Nutshell ESL Readers Series is designed to provide these learners with accessible versions of these, and other, foundation texts.
About the Author: Born and educated in Ireland, Bill McCann has worked as a research chemist, archaeologist, project manager, departmental manager, geophysicist, company director, historical adviser and technical writer. He is currently working as a university lecturer in China. (In between that lot, he had great fun as a barman, dishwasher, hotel cook, movie house manager, taxi-cab dispatcher, hotel/bar stock controller and opinion survey interviewer.) Driven by a passionate curiosity and intense wanderlust, he has travelled widely and explored the cultures of many lands and peoples. He is a devoted bibliophile who has been an avid reader since the age of seven and continues to build his personal library which currently contains about 4,000 volumes on a range of subjects, including, Literature, Art, Music, Theatre, all the natural Sciences, Philosophy, Politics, Language, Mythology and, of course, History. The Nutshell Books project aims to distil the essence of the epochs, milestones, and personalities that made and shaped world history into a format more amenable and accessible to the denizens of the electronic age. He sees no sense in the notion of retirement and has every intention of avoiding the grave for as long as possible.