Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt

The rebuilding of the Globe theater on London's Bankside, a few yards from the site of the playhouse (1599-1613) in which many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed, must rank as one of the most imaginative enterprises of recent decades. The realization of the vision of Sam Wanamaker and his architect Theo Crosby, it has aroused intense interest among scholars and the general public worldwide. In anticipation of the official opening and the first performance season, visitors have been drawn in large numbers to the auditorium and exhibition.

Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt offers a fully-illustrated account of the research that has gone into the Globe reconstruction, drawing on the work of leading scholars, theater people and craftsmen to provide an authoritative view of the twenty years of research and the hundreds of practical decisions entailed. Documents of the period, both visual and written, have been explored anew; the techniques of timber-framed building have been relearned; the archaeology of the Globe and the neighboring Rose playhouse has been further evaluated; the decorative practices of Elizabethan craftsmen have been researched; and all this reconciled with the requirements of the actors and the practical and legal restrictions of modern architectural design. The result is a book that will fascinate scholarly readers and laymen alike.

'This handsomely illustrated book brings together a panel of experts to describe and comment on the design and building of the reconstruction of the Globe theatre in London. The book is well-planned and coherent in design. The contributors write with conviction and enthusiasm to make the reader aware of the extraordinary dedication of those who planned and researched for many years under the leadership of Sam Wanamaker and Theo Crosby the architect. The book is in its way a tribute to human dedication and skill, and the rebuilding of the Globe is a considerable achievement.' Theatre Notebook

."..Shakespeare's Globe Rebuilt is a carefully constructed and clearly written book....the book...will be most accessible to scholars adept at architectural and mathematical thinking. The book is exciting because of the intense expertise focused on the concrete goal. This collection of essays is an essential volume for anyone interested in the rationale for the myriad of decisions involved in the building of the new Globe." Frank Ardolino, Sixteenth Century Journal