The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an alternative for those who lack the time to tackle the unabridged versions of the world’s most widely read playwright. Foster has condensed the Bard’s language, but has left the integrity of Shakespeare’s writings intact so that students can experience the thrill of his stories as well as the beauty of his prose. In addition, the author has provided footnotes explaining some of the more arcane words and phrases so that the reader can better understand and, therefore, enjoy the plays. "Reading-or performing Shakespeare doesn't need to take 'forever and a day.' Not if you raise the curtain on The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare ... Cass Foster has done a superb job of cutting the text while retaining the sense of the story and the poetic rhythm of the words," Sue Defabis, project manager for Five Star Publications, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2003.