The text is based on the wonderful 1623 First Folio, lovingly assembled and seen into print by Shakespeare's fellow actors, and beautifully illustrated here by memorable Stratford and other RSC productions.

Amazingly, no-one has edited the First Folio in its entirety for over three hundred years so, at the request of the RSC, Bate and co-editor Rasmussen have used cutting-edge technology and research to correct the errors and variations of the first copy to produce a definitive Complete Works for the new century.

With all the necessary materials for students of Shakespeare and an illuminating essay on each of the plays, this is sure to become the standard edition for schools and colleges up and down the country.

Fittingly, Bate uses the concept of Shakespeare as a working actor and author as the premise for his fascinating overview.

As they tested out their plays in the court of public opinion, Shakespeare's all-male company faced a range of challenges - from state censorship to closure because of plague and rival attractions. In a time of long sermons and interminable homilies on ethics and politics, his plays provided a crash course in the way of the world.

Although his history plays dramatized 'chronicles' of the past, they also acted as mirrors of the present with close attention to language and the manners of the 16th century court. Thus the newly crowned James 1, who claimed descent from Banquo, would have watched the 'Scottish play' Macbeth with close attention!

As Bate points out, theatre is unique among the arts in the degree to which it is public, collaborative, multidimensional and unpredictable. And the greatest playwrights combine the skills of the novelist's narrative, the public speaker's oratory , the poet's way with words, the historian's ability to bring the past to life and the prophet's capacity to imagine.

This is where Shakespeare excelled and why he is 'not of an age, but for all time.' As well as grasping the structural conflicts shared by all societies in every age, he also addressed the specific conflicts of his own historical moment.

This marvellous Complete Works has the advantage of being both scholarly and eminently readable. As well as the introduction, each play is preceded by a helpful essay placing it in its dramatic and historical context and there are extensive notes on each page explaining complex points of language and plot.

If the motivation behind this new publication was to make Shakespeare more accessible, then one can only praise all the parties involved. This is an edition set to last ... and to treasure.

(Macmillan, paperback, £20)