SHAKESPEARE   

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The OnlyGIFT of Its Kind    

•  First and only volume of what was intended as the start of an annual gift book series, although this sole example was reissued in the next year under the title The Lady's Gift, a Souvenir for All Seasons. The work includes one fictional piece on Shakespeare's childhood, one poem in his honor, and one essay on his birthplace, along with Mary Russell Mitford's “Talking Lady” and “The China Jug,” Lydia Howard Sigourney's “Prayers at Sea,” and Ismael Fitzadam's “Farewell”; it is illustrated with a total of ten steel-engraved plates by various hands. Click the images for enlargements.

Signed binding:  Black sheep in imitation of morocco, covers framed in heavy gilt borders surrounding gilt-stamped arabesque designs, spine gilt extra; front free endpaper with bookbinder Bradley's small pressure-stamp. All edges gilt.

•  Faxon 224. Not in Hamilton, Early American Book Illustrators. On binder's stamp, see: Spawn & Kinsella, American Signed Bindings, 55f.   Binding as above, minor wear to corners, spine with tiny scuff towards foot; binding clean and bright. Pages with varied degrees of foxing/staining and age-toning. Very spiffy.  (26673)

A SERIES OF 18TH-CENTURY PRINTINGS
OF
INDIVIDUAL
SHAKESPEARE PLAYS

All the World’s a Stage

• A few years before the printing of this edition, Baker noted in his Companion to the Play-House that this might be “the truest Pastoral Drama, that ever was written; nor is it ever seen without Pleasure to all present.” The piece was probably originally issued with Cibber’s Damon and Phillida.

• ESTC T22526. Removed from a nonce volume, now in a Mylar folder. Lacking the plate. Pages shaved, in some cases lacking final lines.

Midsummer Night's Dream *&*
the Shepherd's Wedding!

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T39351.   Modern wrappers; with sewing holes and short tears to inner margin of title-page. Faint waterstains in lower outer corners, impinging a little upon printed portions; a bit of spotting to title-page. Tear to upper right portion of back leaf with loss to part of several lines of Lloyd's text (suppliable). Without the plate in the Shakespeare.  (3628)

All's Well, 1778

All's well, that ends well

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T21272. Modern wrappers; sewing loosening in first signature. Without the plate. Back leaf chipped at fore-edge and with one tiny hole near bottom edge. Light soiling to title-page; some age-toning to margins.

A Pleasing Pair

•  The Handel is libretto — no music was given.

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T30922. Modern wrappers, with sewing holes. Without the plate. Lower outer corners lightly stained, and tiny chips and dog-ears to corners of front and back leaves.

Sold by Rachel Randall

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T63031. Modern wrappers, with sewing holes. Without the plate. Some scattered light spotting.

Garrick’s Version   

•  Garrick’s adaptation, printed towards the end of a long run of successful Shakespearean productions at Drury Lane. The dramatis personæ does not, alas, list the actors.

•  ESTC T34530. Removed from a nonce volume, now in a Mylar folder. Lacking the plate. Edges shaved, in some cases with loss of letters or final lines. First few leaves with waterstaining along lower inner margins and light foxing.

[Henry IV. Part 1.] The first part of King Henry IV. A tragedy. ...Taken from the managers' book, at the Theatre Royal, Covent-Garden. London: Pr. for R. Butters, [ca. 1790–95?]. 12mo. 28 pp., then pp. 17–42, [1 (errata)] f.; (lacks the plate).
$90.00

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T63036. Modern wrappers, sewing loosening. A few pages lightly creased across top corners; lower outer corner of p. 35 and lower inner corner dog-eared; some spots of foxing to title-page and pp. 3 16. Without the plate.

[Henry V] King Henry V. A tragedy, in five acts...Taken from the manager's book, at the Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane. London: Pr. for R. Butters, [ca. 1790–95?]. 12mo. 46 pp. (lacks the plate).
$90.00

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T63037. Modern wrappers. Some short tears in inner margins of back page, which is partly separated from spine, and small triangular hole on title-page. Light foxing to back few pages. Without the plate. Paper edges darkened.

Henry the VIIIth. A tragedy...Taken from the manager's book, at the Theatre Royal, Covent-Garden. London: Pr. [for] R. Butters, [ca. 1790–95?]. 12mo. 51, [1] pp. (lacks the plate).
$90.00

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T63038. Modern wrappers. Short tears to inner margin of title-page where sewing is loosening; back leaf with large piece missing at fore-edge, and with rubber-stamp and pencilling. Several small spots to first three leaves, and a very few scattered spots to rest of text. Without the plate. Occasional light creasing in upper outer corners.

King John & Mohamet

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T63034. Modern wrappers; sewing loosening with holes visible only from back page. Abrasions to title-page with loss of three letters (the "ohn" in "John") to the title. Title-page with some pencilling, soiling, and chipping to lower right corner and fore-edge. Faint library stamps of the Mercantile Library. A few spots of discoloration to text. Some soiling to title-page of Voltair's play.

TWO "Romantic Pastorals"?

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T39351. Modern wrappers; with sewing holes and short tears to inner margin of title-page. Faint waterstains in lower outer corners, impinging a little upon printed portions; a bit of spotting to title-page. Tear to upper right portion of back leaf with loss to part of several lines of Lloyd's text. Without the plate in the Shakespeare.

[Much Ado] Much ado about nothing. A comedy. As it is acted at the Theatres-Royal in Drury-Lane and Covent-Garden.... London: Pr. for J. Wenman, 1778. 8vo. 20 pp. (lacks the plate). [bound with, as issued] Gay, John. The what d'ye call it. A tragi-comi-pastoral farce. 8vo. 6 pp.
[SOLD]

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T41605. Modern wrappers. Without the plate. Chipping to top corners of first two leaves, a bit of discoloration to bottom corner of title-page, and a few spots to outer margins of last few pages.

[Twelfth Night] Twelfth night: Or, what you will. As it is acted at the Theatres-Royal in Drury-Lane and Covent-Garden.... London: Pr. for J. Rivington..., [1775?]. 12mo. 71, [1] pp.
$100.00

•  ESTC (electronic, accessed April 2000) T175355. Modern wrappers. Soiling to paper tops, title-page, pp. 30 31, and back page; circular stains from p. 55 to end, and stains at upper corners from title-page to about p. 42. First few leaves chipped, and with short tears at edges and bottom outer corners; fore-edges of first two leaves embrittled. Minor repairs to title-page; abrasions near bottom corner contributing to loss of a bit of printing. Faint pencilling and rubber-stamp on title-page; some pencilling to upper outer corner of second page.

AND HERE IS A 19-TH CENTURY
  PRODUCTION/PRINTING . . .

Charles Calvert's Henry V — New York, 1875 Henry V. Shakspere's historical play of Henry the Fifth, arranged for representation in five acts, by Charles Calvert... Produced under his direction at Booth's Theatre, February, 1875. New York: Cushing & Bardua, 1875. 8vo. 68 pp. With advertisements for Lord & Taylor department store. Good in printed paper wrappers, some dog-earing. (371)
$25.00

Why Believers Believed . . .

•  First edition of this response to Malone’s Inquiry into the Authenticity of Certain Miscellaneous Papers, an analysis of William Henry Ireland’s now-infamous Shakespearean forgeries. Chalmers, though reluctantly conceding the inauthenticity of the documents, here explains in detail why so many were taken in by the scam — providing much material of interest for both Shakespeare scholars and historians of literary frauds. The volume is illustrated with a facsimile of five Shakespeare signatures, engraved by I. Girtin. Single-click the image where the hand appears on
mouse-over, for an enlargement.

•  ESTC T138271; Lowndes, II, 404; Allibone, 2036. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages slightly age-toned, one with pencilled underlining/emphasis.

Why They Believed — A Supplement

•  First edition of another entry in the debate over William Henry Ireland’s now-infamous Shakespearean forgeries: Chalmers’s final response to the numerous items published during the controversy, in which he reminds readers that he is in agreement regarding the inauthenticity of Ireland’s documents, but disagreement with the scholarship (and pugnacity) of Malone and others. Single-click the image where the hand appears on
mouse-over, for an enlargement.

•  ESTCT61515; Allibone, 2036; Lowndes, II, 404. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages age-toned.

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