R. K. Aanstad: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Illustrated Handbook & Encyclopedia (Shakespeare’s World and Words or There Will Be Bawdy Publications). Independently published, 2021.

• Roland Weidle

R. K. Aanstad’s independently published A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Illustrated Handbook and Encyclopedia aims to cater to both theatre practitioners and students of the play, as the author, herself a director and set designer, claims in the introduction: “I have written the book that I wanted to have when I was studying and directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The book consists of two main parts: a practical section for directors who wish to stage the play and a section for students, providing information on some of the most important aspects and contexts of the play and early modern England. The practical part includes a 100-page glossary of selected words from the play, the playtext, scene breakdowns, casting tables, prop sheets, information on every character, and advice on how to stage the play. The shorter textbook part, making up about one third of the book, provides information on the play’s sources, the locations mentioned, mythical figures, magic, astrology, medicine, a detailed 35-page “Herbal Compendium” of all the plants mentioned in the play, and a concluding section on aspects of early modern life such as, for example, race, sexuality, marriage, religion and theatre.