Edward III is a major new addition to the Shakespearean canon. Melchiori claims that Shakespeare is the author of a significant part of the play, the extent of which is discussed in detail. The introduction explores the play's historical background and its relationship to the early cycle of history plays. The commentary examines in depth the play's linguistic and poetic features, while an extensive appendix on the use of sources explains the stages of its composition.

    The first time that this play has appeared in a scholarly Shakespeare edition. Neither Oxford nor Arden plan an edition as yet
    Other 'apocryphal' plays in New Cambridge Shakespeare will include The Two Noble Kinsmen; some others are collaborative, eg Henry VIII
    Very full appendix on the source material