[close] The History of King Richard the Third is Thomas More's English masterpiece. With the help of Shakespeare, whose Richard the Third took More's work as its principal model, the History determined the historical reputation of an English king and spawned a seemingly endless controversy about the justness of that reputation.

George M. Logan has produced a scholarly yet accessible edition of the History, designed to make More's exhilarating work fully accessible to 21st-century readers. More's text is presented here with modern English spelling and punctuation, and with full annotation of linguistic difficulties and the historical background. The text is preceded by a general introduction, a chronology, and suggestions for further reading. An appendix reprints passages from key sources and analogues, enabling the reader to see how More worked with his English sources and classical models, and finally how Shakespeare worked with More. [close]