The thesis starts with an Introduction which explains that the subject of the work is an analysis of the Notebook of J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps dealing with the Sonnets and shorter poems of Shakespeare owned by the Shakespeare Centre Library, Stratford-upon- Avon. This is followed by an explanation of the material and methods used to examine the pages of the Notebook and a brief account of Halliwell-Phillipps and his collections as well as a description of his work on the life and background of Shakespeare. Each page of the Notebook is then dealt with in order and outlined, together with a photocopy of Halliwell-Phillipps' entry. Entries are identified where possible, with an explanation and description of the work referred to. This is followed by a recognition and discussion of the word or phrase of the parallel noticed in the Shakespearean sonnet or poem, with a view to assessing the value of the comparison. Finally, there is a summary of the varying critical opinions of the analogies and other aspects of the poems by editors and commentators of Shakespeare, from Malone and Boswell to the present.