Emma Smith

An excitingly revisionist history of bibliophilia, from the celebrated author of This is Shakespeare. 'A fascinating journey into our relationship with the physical book... I lost count of the times I exclaimed with delight when I read a nugget of information I hadn't encountered before' - Val McDermid, The Times Most of what we say about books is really about...

A revelatory new look at Shakespeare, from 'one of the stars of her generation of Shakespeare scholars' Eric Rasmussen The Sunday Times Bestseller 'An outstanding book ... lively, curious and passionate' Literary Review Why should you read a book about Shakespeare and his plays? Because he is a timeless genius whose work encapsulates the human condition? Or is it something...

Think you know Shakespeare? Think again . . . Was a real skull used in the first performance of Hamlet? Were Shakespeare's plays Elizabethan blockbusters? How much do we really know about the playwright's life? And what of his notorious relationship with his wife? Exploring and exploding 30 popular myths about the great playwright, this illuminating new book evaluates all...

Step into the sun-drenched streets and shadowy ballrooms of Verona, where Romeo and Juliet's story of love and loss unfolds. Piece together iconic scenes—from secret garden meetings to the fateful balcony—brought to life in a beautifully detailed illustration by Anna Higgie. Filled with familiar faces like Mercutio, Tybalt, and the star-crossed lovers themselves, and accompanied by a fold-out poster with...

The Making of Shakespeare's First Folio offers the first comprehensive biography of the earliest collected edition of Shakespeare's plays. In November 1623, the book arrived in the bookshop of the London publisher Edward Blount at the Black Bear. Long in the making, Master William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies—as the First Folio was then known—appeared seven years after Shakespeare's death....

A heartwarming tale of abandoned dogs and their saviours Among the cobblestone villages and towns of rural Bulgaria, a dedicated team of unsung heroes led by Emma and Anthony Smith works tirelessly to change the destiny of street dogs. These animals are abandoned, neglected, and sometimes in danger, until Street Hearts steps in to provide them with a second chance....

______________ ‘Wonderfully written, humorous and humane, and beautifully evocative of the time' - Independent Summer Reads ‘Smith's writing exudes wisdom and humour, and her descriptions ... are vividly drawn' - Times Literary Supplement ‘Hope and energy radiate from every sentence of this lovely volume as it emerges into the light after its long sojourn in the cemetery of forgotten books'...