The Histories; Shakespeare, William; Easton Press, The 100 Greatest Books Ever

Bound in full leather with 22 karat gold decoration and gilded endpaper (all three sides); raised spine hubs; sewn-in ribbon marker; high-quality paper; silk moire fabric endpapers; sewn pages for strength and durability.

Shakespeare's histories are a collection of ten plays chronicling English history from the late 12th to early 16th centuries, focusing on the reigns of kings like John, Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Richard III, and Henry VIII. These plays, largely based on Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles, dramatize periods of conflict like the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses, and explore themes of power, legitimacy, national unity, and divine right, often blurring historical accuracy for dramatic effect.