This volume investigates the evolution of Shakespearean reception and critical interpretation during the mid-eighteenth century. Brian Vickers, a distinguished scholar of English literature, compiles and annotates primary source documents from 1753 to 1765 to illustrate how contemporary critics, editors, and playwrights engaged with the Shakespearean canon. By presenting these historical perspectives in their original context, the work provides a framework for understanding the shifting standards of literary taste and the development of editorial practices during the Enlightenment.

Scholars and students of English literature frequently cite this series as a foundational resource for tracking the history of Shakespearean scholarship. Experts note that the density of the primary source material makes this an invaluable reference for those researching the development of critical theory in the eighteenth century.