Phil Barker reviewed King Henry IV Part 2 by William Shakespeare (Arden Shakespeare Second Series)
Arden second series
4 stars
For me, I value the Arden Second Series for its discussion of the text and sources of Shakespeare's plays -- it seems more about "the play on the page: whereas the Third Series is about "the play on the stage". It is over fifty years old, so the discussion may be a little dated both in style and scholarship, I'm not qualified to judge, but having sources such as Holinshed in the appendices gives a greater sense of what was "in the air" at the time.
On first reading, the play itself seemed odd. Not much about either Henry IV or Prince Hal, and I've never really been much of a Falstaff fan. I'm not surprised there is so much discussion about whether it was planned from the start, just an afterthought or a pot boiler.