Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow vs Tales from Shakespeare [20 tales]: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Sale Books

Cover of Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow Jerome Klapka Jérôme · 1880 ★★★★☆ 3.8 209 pages · ≈ 3 h 52 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of Tales from Shakespeare [20 tales]

Tales from Shakespeare [20 tales] Charles Lamb · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.9 338 pages · ≈ 6 h 16 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 6 for Tales from Shakespeare [20 tales].

Side by side