Mr. William Shakespear's Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto Which is Adde
Shakespeare, William.
Folio (14 1/4" x 9 1/2"). [12],272,[2],328,303,[1]pp. Beautifully bound in 19th-century gold-tooled full maroon morocco by A. Maltty of Oxford (protected by modern mylar). Spine and edges of boards with exquisite detailed gold tooling. Gold-tooled frame on front and back board with gold-stamped crown and flower motif in each corner. Five raised bands. All edges gilt. Dentelles. 19th-century marbled endpapers. Ex-libris of Paulin Martin of Abingdon on inside of front board, bookplate of Lucy [Doheny] Smith Battson on free front endpaper. Paul Martin (1842-1929) was a English physician and well-known book collector, specializing in rare Shakespeare publications. Lucy Battson was the daughter-in-law of Countess Carrie Estelle Doheny (1875-1958). E. Doheny was a Los Angeles socialite and famous rare book collector, the second wife of oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny. Frontispiece copper plate engraving of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout (same as the first folio), with Ben Jonson's verse "To the Reader" below image: "This Figure that thou here seest put, It was for gentle Shakespear cut; Wherein the Graver had a strife With Nature to outdo the Life. O, would he but have drawn his Wit As well in brass, as he has hit His Face; the Print would then surpass All that was ever writ in Brass. But since he cannot, Reader, look Not only on his Picture, but his Book. B. J." Frontispiece expertly remargined and laid-down. Title-page in facsimile. As in the third edition, the final "e" was dropped from Shakespeare's name on the title-page. Woodcut initials. Errors in pagination (as usual), including p. 97-98 & 161-162 omitted, and 253-254 repeated in the first sequence, as published. Pages 123 & 124 set in smaller type as often found. Pages 13 & 14 of "The life and death of King John" bound in wrongly at page 24 of "The life and death of King Richard." Two columns of text in Roman and Italic type. Contents: To the Great Variety of Readers, by J. Heminge & H. Condell. An Epitaph on the admirable Dramatick Poet, William Shakespear. Upon the Lines and Life of the Famous Scenick Poet Mr. William Shakespear, by Hugh Holland. To the most Noble and Incomparable pair of Brethren, William Earl of Pembroke, &c. Lord Chamberlain to the Kings most Excellent Majesty; and Philip E. of Montgomery, &c. Gentleman to his Majesties Bed-Chamber. Both Knights of the most Noble Order of the Garter, and our singular good Lords, by John Heminge & Henry Condell. Plays: The Tempest, The two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors, Much ado about Nothing, Loves Labours lost, Midsummer nights Dream, The Merchant of Venice, As you like it, The taming of the Shrew, Alls well that ends well, Twelf(th)-night, or what you will, The Winters Tale, The life and death of King John, The life and death of King Richard the 2., The life and death of King Henry the 4., The second part of King Henry the 4., The life of King Henry the 5., The first part of King Henry the 6., The second part of King Henry the 6., The third part of King Henry the 6., The Tragedy of Richard the 3., The famous History of Henry the 8., Troylus and Cressida, The Tragedy of Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Tragedy of Hamlet, The tragedy of King Lear, The Moor of Venice, Anthony and Cleopatra, The Tragedy of Cymbeline, plus seven additional plays that were not present in the first two folios: Pericles Prince of Tyre, The London Prodigal, The History of Thomas Lord Cromwel, Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham, The Puritan Widow, A Yorkshire Tragedy, The Tragedy of Locrine (of course, modern scholarship indicates that of these seven only Pericles Prince of Tyre was actually authored by Shakespeare). WITH two 10 1/4" x 8" leafs of original manuscript remembering "Richard Cust, Dean of Lincoln, Rector of Belton & Sulbeck in this country..." The manuscript is most likely quoting the inscription on Cust's gravestone. Richard Cust died on Oct. 16th, 1783 at age 55. He was the 5th son of Sir Richard and Ann Cust (Brownlow). Cust held the title "Dean of Lincoln" (head of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral in the city of Lincoln, England) from 1782 until his death. The writer of the manuscript is unknown. First leaf in English, second leaf a translation of the first in Latin (both handwritten originals). The manuscript is tipped-in at rear of book, following the last page. Very minor bleeding of ink affecting few words on first leaf, easily readable. Beautiful copy of the fourth and final folio in which all 43 of Shakespeare's plays were collected. This edition served as the basis for the popular later series of 18th-century editions.
The following is a detailed description of the minor defects of this overall tight copy: Minor wear on edges and head and tail of spine, some scuffing on boards. Spine sunned into golden brown. Small closed tear on bottom edge of title-page. Small area on edges of some leafs expertly repaired, bottom right corner of fifth leaf and lower fore-edge of pages 241-242 slightly chipped. Sporadic brown stains on some pages, light sporadic foxing and spotting throughout. Pages 23-24 of first section, and pages 7-8, 179-180, 219-220, 249-250 of last section with small chips (ink burn or paper flaws), sporadically affecting a few letters. 4mm x 4mm marginal chip on pages 151-152 in first section. 1/2" closed tear on bottom edge of page 225 in second section. "April 23rd, 1884" handwritten in text margin on page 37. Usual age toning to outer edges of pages. Besides these minor defects, a remarkable copy in very good condition.
Edition: The Fourth Edition. Herringman, Brewster, and R. Chiswell were m
Book ID: 24406
Price: $60,000.00