Even if William Shakespeare had never written a single play, his name would have endured on the strength of his poetry alone. This edition collects all of the Bard's sonnets, as well as the longer poems Lucrece and Venus and Adonis, plus a handful of miscellaneous verses. Perfectly complemented by dozens of Elizabethan illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the poems have all been fully annotated, and are accompanied by additional commentary on their peerless artistry and lasting appeal.