Tales from Shakespeare by brother and sister Charles and Mary Lamb was first published in 1807. It adapted twenty of Shakespeare's plays "for the use of young persons", tuning them into short stories but also retaining as much of the original language as possible. Mary Lamb adapted the comedies, Charles Lamb the tragedies, though several of the historical plays were omitted as being too complex. Several editions from 1866 onwards, including this one, were illustrated by Sir John Gilbert (1817-97), particularly known for his wood engravings for publications such as Punch and the Illustrated London News. He produced over 700 drawings for Tales from Shakespeare, and illustrated many other works of literature.