Sales catalogue: Sotheby's

Date:
March 1903
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/20/120
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue: Sotheby's. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    152/168 (page 148)
    1260 Shakespear. THE/ TRAGEDY / OF / MACBETH / written by Mr. W. Shakespear / Dublin | Printed for George Ewing, Bookseller, at the | Sign of the Angel and Bible, in Dames’ Street | 1723 | *.* (Collation. On reverse of title is list of Dramatis Persone, pp. 3-66, then leaf (blank on reverse) with list of publications. | 1261 SHAKESPEAR (William) THE TEMPEST: a Comedy, collated and corrected by the former editions, by Mr. Pope, unbound Dublin, 1725 1262 Shakespear. THE / MERRY WivEs/ oF / WINDSOR / a / Comedy / as it is acted at the / Theatres / by Mr. William Shakespear / Dublin | Printed for A. Bradley, at the Golden Ball and | Ring, opposite Sycamore Alley, in Dame Street, Book | seller, 1730 *.* [Collation. Title, with list of Dramatis Persone on reverse, pp. 3-72. | N.B.—The above five volumes are of remarkable interest and im- portance to collectors and bibliographers of Shakespeare, they being of the greatest rarity, Two OF THEM (Macbeth, 1723, and Merry Wives of Windsor, 1730) ARE PERHAPS UNIQUE, AND ARE HITHERTO UNDESCRIBED. Of Hamlet, 1721, and Julius Cesar, 1721, only one other copy of each is known to have occurred for sale, viz. those which were sold, with Othello, 1721, in these rooms last December. The late Mr. J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps had none of the early Irish editions of Shakespeare’s plays in his collection, and seems to have come across (in the Harrison collection) a solitary copy of the Tempest, 1725, which he thus describes: “ THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS MOST RARE, IF NOT QUITE UNIQUE, AND IT IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN EDITION OF ANY OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS PRINTED IN IRELAND ; UNNOTICED IN ALL LISTS OF SHAKE- SPEAREANA.” It will be noticed that the wording of the five title-pages varies: ‘“‘ Hamlet” is ‘‘ Wratten by Mr. William Shakespear” ; “Julius Cesar” simply “By Mr. William Shakespear” ; “Macbeth,” “Mr. W. Shakespear” ; and ‘“‘ Merry Wives of Windsor,” “ By Mr. William Shakespear.” QUARTO. 1263 SHAKESPEARE (W.) A MOST PLEASANT AND EXCELLENT CON- CEITED COMEDY OF SIR JOHN FALSTAFFE AND THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, with the swaggering vaine of Ancient Pistoll and Corporall Nym, morocco gilt, joints, g. e. the lower corner of two leaves torn, otherwise A FINE COPY, VERY RARE, 28 Ul. without pagination ; sig. A-G in fours Printed for Arthur Johnson, 1619 1264 Shakespear (W.) MACBETH, a Tragedy, with all the Alterations, Amendments, Additions, and New Songs, as it is now acted at the Dukes Theatre, P. Chetwin, 1674—-The History of Timon of Athens, The Man-Hater, made into a Play by T. Shadwell, FIRST EDITION, 1678, both slightly wormed inmargin (2) 1265 Shakespeare (W.) Julius Cesar, a Tragedy, as it is now acted at the Theatre Royal, fine copy, morocco extra, g.e. by Rimere By H. H. Jun. for Hen. Herringman and fk. Bentley, dc. vn. d. (but date 1680) *,* Exceedingly scarce. The first separately published edition of this play. It originally appeared in the folio of 1623.