The Arden Shakespeare Complete Works contains all of Shakespeare's plays, his Poems, and Sonnets. The play and verse texts are edited in a manner which reflects current scholarship. The introduction includes
information regarding theatrical performance during Shakespeare's lifetime.

This two volume set contains essays on recent criticism and productions, updated textual notes, a photographic insert of recent productions, and two works recently attributed to Shakespeare. Volume One contains the comedies and histories while Volume Two contains the tragedies, romances, and poems. CUA has two editions: 1974 (PR2754.E92 R6 1974 in Reference Room) and 1976 (PR2754.E92 R6 1976 in Stacks).

This resource comes in one illustrated volume, which includes a general introduction about Shakespeare's life, an article on the theatrical tradition of Elizabethan England, and an essay on printing and editing the plays. It also contains a dated listing of contemporary allusions to Shakespeare and his family, as well as poems and prefaces dedicated to Shakespeare written from 1599 until 1640. Each play, sonnet, or poem is prefaced by a general introduction. Further, the book provides a glossary and an index to the first lines of the sonnets.

The Norton Shakespeare (first edition) provides information regarding the plays as scripts to be performed, Shakespeare world, Shakespeare's family background and professional life, the Elizabethan industries of theater and printing, and the subsequent centuries of Shakespeare textual editing.

The volumes (1-2, 5, 7-8, 10, 12-13) include the texts of the plays, notes and commentary from the various editors and critics of Shakespeare’s plays, and sections from these writers on such topics as costume, character analysis, and source of plots. These volumes also contain unabridged republications of the 1871 edition.