The Sonnets of Shakespeare

In his introduction to this 1924 edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets, T. G. Tucker addresses key issues including the publication history of the Sonnets, the question of whether they are autobiographical and factors of punctuation, spelling and misprints. The edition contains detailed commentary and notes to assist the reader.

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T.G. Tucker was the founding professor of Classics and English at Auckland University College before moving to Melbourne in 1885. His 1924 edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets, with full commentary and notes, illuminates the power and beauty of the poetry for the reader. Tucker's detailed introduction contains discussion of key issues including the publication history of the Sonnets, the question of whether they are autobiographical, the arrangement of the First Series and factors of punctuation, spelling and misreadings or misprints. Recognising the significance of any corruptions of the text – however small – such as wrong emphasis or attaching the incorrect meaning to a word or phrase, Tucker aims to clear up as many as possible of the obscurities left by earlier commentators. Concise and accessible notes draw key comparisons between different editions, demonstrating for the reader the many possible variations and their effect on the meaning, and our understanding, of the Sonnets.