Lot 184
SHAKESPEARE, William. Plays. L., 1805. SUPER ROYAL OCTAVO EDITION, ONE OF 250 COPIES.
Sale 2065 - Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts, Including Americana
Nov 14, 2024
9:00AM CT
Live / Chicago
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Estimate
$1,500 -
2,500
Price Realized
$1,651
Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium
Lot Description
SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616). Plays. Alexander Chalmers, editor. London: Printed for F.C. and J. Rivington, et al, 1805.
10 volumes, super royal 8vo (260 x 165 mm). Portrait frontispiece of Shakespeare in Vol. I and 37 copper engraved plates after Fuseli, including 2 by William Blake. (Some spotting, Sketches of the Life misbound.) Contemporary diced russia, frames with Greek-key rolls and other devices gilt, all edges gilt (rebacked to style, rubbing to fore-corners). Provenance: Sir Thomas Baring (1772-1848), banker and MP from High Wycombe (armorial bookplate); Henry March Gilbert (booksellers' ticket).
CONSIDERED THE BEST ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS. SUPER ROYAL OCTAVO ISSUE, ONE OF 250 COPIES ON THE "FINEST PAPER" (see Weinglass, Prints and Engraved Illustrations by and after Henry Fuseli, p.237). There was also a 9-volume small paper edition (3,250 sets printed) but "the ten-volume edition is considerably more elegant" (Bentley Blake Books 498). RARE: we were unable to locate any copies at auction in this super royal size.
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