The works of Mr. William Shakespear; in six volumes. Adorn'd with cuts. Revis'd and corrected, with an account of the life and writings of the author. By N. Rowe, Esq;

All titles
  • The works of Mr. William Shakespear; in six volumes. Adorn'd with cuts. Revis'd and corrected, with an account of the life and writings of the author. By N. Rowe, Esq;
  • Plays. 1709
People / Organizations
Imprint
London : Printed for Jacob Tonson, within Grays-Inn Gate, next Grays-Inn Lane, MDCCIX. [1709]
Added name
Rowe, Nicholas, 1674-1718.; Tonson, Jacob, 1656?-1736, bookseller.
Publication year
1709
ESTC No.
T138296
Grub Street ID
186166
Description
6 v. : ill., ports. ; 8°.
Note
In fact the dramatic works only

The first edition published after the four folios; the text is based on the fourth folio

This is the large-paper issue with gutter margin 1.6 cm minimum; height of text block 22.5 cm minimum. The ordinary-paper issue (see ESTC T138294) has a gutter margin of about 1.0 cm and a text block height of about 19.5 cm. There is also a large-paper issue in 9 volumes

The Arlaud-Duchange portrait was issued in v. 1 of the large-paper issues in 6 v. and in 9 v. of Rowe's 1709 works of Shakespeare. It was not executed and added later, as claimed by Ford (See Dawson, G.E. The Arlaud-Duchange portrait of Shakespeare. The Library, 1935, s4-XVI (3): 290-294)

Vol. 1. Signatures: pi]2] A]4] a-b]8] c]4] B-2G]8. Pagination: [12], XL, 464 p., [10] leaves of plates. -- v. 2. Signatures: [A]1 B-2K]8. Pagination: [5], 468-975, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 3. Signatures: [A]1 B-2N]8. Pagination: [5], 980-1535, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 4. Signatures: [A]1 B-2L]8] M]4. Pagination: [5], 1540-2072 p., [7] leaves of plates. -- v. 5. Signatures: [A]1 B-2O]8. Pagination: [5], 2076-2647, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 6. Signatures: A]8(-A1) B-2N]8. Pagination: [5], 2656-3324 p., [10] leaves of plates

Each play has a separate title page with the imprint: "printed in the year 1709"

This edition differs from a reprint (possibly surreptitious) of the same year. In this edition, vol. 1 sig. A is under "G" of "Goodness"; vol.6 signature letter "A" of leaf A4 is under "h" of "where". In the reprint (ESTC T138297) vol.1 sig.A is under the first "O" of "Goodness"; vol.6 signature letter "A" of leaf A4 is under "w" of "where"

With the Shakespeare portrait bound before "Some account of the life in vol.1

Text is continuous despite pagination

Engraved frontispiece plates lettered: M. Vdr. Gucht sculp

frontispiece included in each volume. Engraved portrait (v. 1) lettered: B. Arlaud del., G. Duchange scul., Mr. William Shakespear, p. 1 in the life. Engravings for plays lettered for pagination, attributed to artist Boitard and engraver Kirkall (see H.A. Hammelmann, Shakespeare's first illustrators, Apollo, supplement "notes on British art" p. 1-4, August 1968)

Contents: v. 1. Tempest ; Two gentlemen of Verona ; Merry wives of Windsor ; Measure for measure ; Comedy of errors ; Much ado about nothing ; Love's labour's lost -- v. 2. Midsummer night's dream ; Merchant of Venice ; As you like it ; Taming of the shrew ; All's well that ends well ; Twelfth-night ; Winter's tale -- v. 3. King John ; King Richard II ; King Henry IV. Part 1 ; King Henry IV. Part 2 ; Henry V ; King Henry VI. Part 1 ; King Henry VI. Part 2 -- v. 4. King Henry VI. Part 3 ; King Richard III ; King Henry VIII ; Troilus and Cressida ; Coriolanus ; Titus Andronicus -- v. 5. Romeo and Juliet ; Timon of Athens ; Julius Caesar ; Macbeth ; Hamlet ; King Lear ; Othello -- v. 6. Antony and Cleopatra ; Cymbeline ; Pericles ; London prodigal ; Thomas, Lord Cromwell ; Sir John Oldcastle ; Puritan ; Yorkshire tragedy ; Locrine.
Uncontrolled note
12/86 Gutter (minimum): 1.6cms: Ht: 22.5cms