More troubled and troubling than King Henry IV Part 1 , the play continues the story of King Henry's decline and Hal's reform. Though Part 2 echoes the structure of the earlier play, it is a darker and more unsettling world, in which even Falstaff's revelry is more tired and cynical, and the once-merry Hal sloughs off his tavern companions to become King Henry V. James C. Bulman's authoritative edition provides a wealth of incisive commentary on this complex history play. “Bulman's commentary notes are exhaustive, and he highlights many previously unnoted moments of chronicle history influence … Bulman's new Arden edition does not merely give textual scholars a tight text and graduate students an authoritative survey of sources and theatrical history. It also effectively argues that we should reevaluate the position of 2 Henry IV within the canon. This masterful edition was well worth the wait.” ― Shakespeare Quarterly “Probably the best available edition with a far more up-to-date performance history than any competitor.” ― Paul Hartle, University of Cambridge, UK “James C. Bulman's edition of Shakespeare's King Henry IV, Part 2 includes an extremely informative introduction which breathes new life into this often-neglected play. Bulman expertly navigates the difficult textual terrain-neither the Quarto (which appeared in two issues) nor the Folio provides a fully authoritative copy text-explaining the rationale for his decisions in a detailed but accessible appendix.” ― Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 “[ King Henry IV Part 2 ] provides an exceptionally competent, stimulating, and thorough exploration of all major and many minor disputed problems of this sequel ... In his attention to the text of the play and its background, Bulman offers exceptional quality in addition to the immediately evident quantity.” ― Berliner Beiträge zur Editionswissenschaft William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English dramatist, poet, and actor, generally regarded as the greatest playwright of all time. James C. Bulman is Henry B. and Patricia Bush Tippie Professor of English at Allegheny College, USA. Professor Richard Proudfoot served as Senior General Editor of the Arden Shakespeare for 35 years, until his retirement from King's in 1999. In 2001 The Arden Shakespeare published Proudfoot's Shakespeare: Text, Stage and Canon a critical overview of the scholarly achievements made in the field of Shakespeare studies by the end of the twentieth century. ANN THOMPSON is Emeritus Professor in English at King' s College London UK. David Scott Kastan is the George M. Bodman Professor of English at Yale University, USA.