Bourus takes on the tripartite role of detective, historian, and theatrical laboratory technician in Young Shakespeare's Young Hamlet. Methodically, she dismantles fossilized assumptions about one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, leaving one to wonder how such a mess of ill- or unfounded propositions could have held currency for so long. Bourus's important book will change the face of Hamlet scholarship. When you get to her conclusion, you will say, with young Hamlet, 'ay, there's the point!' - Regina Buccola, Associate Professor, Literature and Languages, Roosevelt University, USA and Scholar in Residence, Chicago Shakespeare Theater
For about two centuries we have been seeking answers to the various riddles surrounding the three texts of Hamlet. Previous commentators have worked from bibliographical, literary-historical, or theatrical perspectives and have not come up with fully satisfactory answers. However, Bourus combines all these approaches, since she is trained in all these areas, and comes up with surprising and very satisfactory answers. Anyone seriously interested in Hamlet must read this book. - William Proctor Williams, Adjunct Professor of English, University of Akron, USA, and author of An Introduction to Bibliographical and Textual Studies, 4th edition (2009)
A must-have, must-read book for any Shakespearean scholar, editor, theatre practitioner, teacher, and anyone whose work intersects all these areas, Young Shakespeare's Young Hamlet is, without question, a game-changer in studies of Shakespeare's most important and influential play. Disrupting our centuries-old assumptions about the three texts of Hamlet, Bourus dares to ask the questions that uncover a fresh, contemporary perspective on this play and teach us more about Hamlet than we thought possible. - Lori Leigh, Lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Bourus's book, crammed with astute observations, presents a vigorous challenge to orthodox views on the texts of Hamlet and on the provenance of the Ur-Hamlet. This is an important addition to scholarship on Shakespeare's best-known play. - MacDonald P. Jackson, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Auckland, New Zealand
A meticulous study of a long-standing issue, with a wonderfully firm conclusion. - Andrew Gurr, Professor Emeritus, University of Reading, UK
Figuring out the relationship between the first three editions of Hamlet, published in 1603, 1604-5, and 1623, is one of the most intractable problems in Shakespeare studies. Dates of printing tell us only the latest moment by which a play must have been written, and in search of the earliest origins of Hamlet Bourus brilliantly combines a fresh consideration of the historical evidence. Her startling conclusion is scrupulously grounded in a masterly synthesis of all that we know. - Gabriel Egan, Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Centre for Textual Studies, De Montfort University, UK