Created in 1594, the theater company in which Shakespeare acted and which staged all his plays became the King's Men in 1603 and ran for forty-eight years up to closure in 1642. Andrew Gurr studies the company's activities, explores its social role and examines its repertoire of plays. This comprehensive illustrated history will be an indispensable guide for anyone wanting to know more about the conditions under which Shakespeare and his successors worked. "...comprehensive...Andrew Gurr has written a definitive and most appealing work, which frequently glitters with the author's own love of theater and its members." Renaissance Quarterly "An eminent scholar, Gurr brings both a refined (and colossal) body of research and sage insight into this magnificent achievement. He offers a richly detailed, pleastantly readable case study...Essential." P.D. Nelsen, Marlboro College, CHOICE "Gurr doesn't explicitly say that the 'company versions' are better than that habitual overwriter Shakespeare's maximal versions. But the stakes in the argument are high -- our vision of what we value most in Shakespeare, why we value it, and the notion of value itself. And so, in addition to being grateful to Gurr for the wealth of historical detail of Shakespeare's company, we are in debt to him for provoking anew this important argument." The Wilson Quarterly The first complete history of the theatre company in which Shakespeare acted and which staged all of his plays. Andrew Gurr is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Reading. As chief academic advisor, he was a key figure in the project to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. His many publications include Shakespeare's Opposites, The Admiral's Company 1594–1625, The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642, 4th edition (2009) and Playgoing in Shakespeare's London, 3rd edition (2004). Professor Gurr regularly contributes articles on Shakespeare to publications ranging from Shakespeare Survey to the Times Literary Supplement.