Shakespeare`s Bawdy must rank as one of the great Eric Partridge`s most outstanding accomplishments. In it Partridge, regarded by Anthony Burgess as `a human lexicographer, like Samuel Johnson`, was able to combine his detailed knowledge of Shakespeare with his unrivalled knowledge of Elizabethan slang and innuendo. It is, as he describes it, `a literary and psychological essay and a comprehensive glossary`, which opened the window upon a long-avoided aspect of Shakespeare`s plays. Shakespeare`s Bawdy is a work of delight and insight that has an appeal that transcends time and class. Acclaimed by Stanley Wells, editor of The Oxford Shakespeare , as `a classic of Shakespeare scholarship`, it takes its place alongside other classics with a well-deserved, if slightly cheeky, impunity. For sheer reading pleasure, Shakespeare`s Bawdy is a wonderful addition to any bookshelf.