This vintage volume, selected and introduced by Anne Ridler, was published by Oxford University Press in 1963 as part of their prestigious "The World's Classics" series. It serves as a scholarly sequel to previous anthologies, compiling essential mid-20th-century essays from renowned critics such as R.W. Chambers, T.S. Eliot, and W.H. Auden. Ridler herself was a distinguished British poet and editor known for her keen literary insight, and this collection remains a significant resource for understanding the evolution of Shakespearean scholarship during a transformative era. The book is in fair to good vintage condition, featuring its original cream dust jacket which shows some age-related toning, minor foxing, and small tears along the edges; the internal pages remain clean and the binding appears secure.