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Shakespeare Works 1725-23 1ST POPE & QUARTO ED 6 vol NR
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Shakespeare Works 1725-23 1ST POPE & QUARTO ED 6 vol NR
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OFFERED WITH NO RESERVE is the first edition of the Works of William Shakespeare, as edited by Alexander Pope, and the first quarto edition of Shakespeare’s Works, printed in 6 quarto volumes at London in 1725-23, adorned with the fine frontispiece portrait of Shakespeare and the fine plate depicting his tomb, both engraved by George Vertue, complete in all respects and bound in early 18th century English mottled calf, contemporary to the time of publication. �THE FIRST QUARTO EDITION OF THE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, AND THE FIRST EDITION EDITED BY ALEXANDER POPE, THE GREATEST 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH POET, PRINTED AT LONDON IN 6 QUARTO VOLUMES IN 1725-23, ADORNED WITH A FINE PORTRAIT OF SHAKESPEARE AND ANOTHER OF HIS TOMB, BOTH ENGRAVED BY GEORGE VERTUE, COMPLETE IN ALL RESPECTS, AND CONSTITUTING A MILESTONE IN THE LTIERATURE OF THE 18TH CENTURY AND THE TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF SHAKESPEARE. �The full general title reads as follows: �“The Works of Shakespear. In Six Volumes. / Collated and Corrected by the former Editions, By Mr. Pope. / … London: / Printed for Jacob Tonson in the Strand. / M DCC XXV.” �This edition of Shakespeare, in which Pope famously, and silently, ‘corrected’ passages, is also notable because Pope performed excellent service of being the first to return to the early quartos, rather than the folios, as the definitive text. Pope’s Shakespeare was, in a sense, a kind of commission from the English nation of the early 18th century that charged the greatest poet of its day with editing the greatest poet in its history. That Pope was so charged should come as no surprise; he was recognized, almost from the beginning of his career, as the archetype of what was considered good taste in early 18th century English polite society. �Pope’s Shakespeare was published in six volumes, with the first dated 1725 and the remainder 1723. A seventh volume was published by Tonson in 1725 containing Shakespeare’s shorter poems and sonnets; this, however, was not edited by Pope and the six-volume set ought not to be rejected on grounds of completeness. The present set is the first quarto edition of Shakespeare and comprises the entirety of his dramatic output. It is an elegant production, with two fine plates and numerous ornamental headpieces and tailpieces. Moreover, the text served as the basis for the Oxford editions, edited by Hanmer, which were printed in 1744 and 1771. Also, Pope’s preface is rightly considered a masterful work of literary criticism and one of the finest essays of the early 18th century. �Finally, Pope’s Shakespeare is the starting point in the creative and controversial process that produced Pope’s ‘Dunciad,’ which is indisputably the greatest satirical poem of the 18th century. Lewis Theobald, in 1726, produced “Shakespeare Restored,” in which he severely criticized Pope’s edition of Shakespeare, particularly as it concerned Hamlet. Pope responded by making Theobald the hero of his ‘Dunciad’ – the crowning of all that is dull. The early 18th century sided with Pope – Theobald was considered pedantic and humourless. Posterity has sided with Theobald – his Shakespeare became the textual basis for all future editions. �The six volumes are complete in all respects and comprise the following numbered pages respectively, plus titles, preliminaries, addenda and two plates: 563, 656, 499, 547, 599 and 591. Each volume measures about 30.0 cm by 23.0 cm by 4.5 cm; each leaf measures about 290 mm by 220 mm. �Internally, the volumes are generally in very good to excellent condition, with generally clean pages, clear print and ample pages throughout. Both plates are excellent impressions. The title pages and final leaves are somewhat browned; those of volumes two through four more heavily so, as appears clearly in the photos below. �The volume are bound in full early 18th century mottled calf, contemporary to the time of publication, with gilt spines divided by raised bands into 7 compartments. The bindings are somew... 
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