Shakespeare: The Histories

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic prose and verse read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly remastered stories are now available to download for the first time.


All 10 of Shakespeare’s timeless histories, performed by the celebrated Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players.


Politics, power, and the tragedy of war are played out in these sweeping histories that continue to surprise and entertain. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, Prunella Scales, William Squire, and Timothy West can be heard in these recordings.


All of the Shakespeare plays within the ARGO Classics catalogue are performed by the Marlowe Dramatic Society and Professional Players. The Marlowe was founded in 1907 with a mission to focus on effective delivery of verse, respect the integrity of texts, and rescue neglected plays by Shakespeare’s contemporaries and the less performed plays of Shakespeare himself. The Marlowe has performed annually at Cambridge Arts Theatre since its opening in 1936 and continues to produce some of the finest actors of their generations.


Thurston Dart, Professor of Music at London University and a Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge, directed the music for this production.


This collection includes 10 histories:
• Henry IV Part I
• Henry IV Part II
• Henry V
• Henry VI Part I
• Henry VI Part II
• Henry VI Part III
• Henry VIII
• King John
• Richard II
• Richard III


The full casts for each production in this collection can be found in the description of the individual play’s product page.