Creator
Date
Location
Great Britain
Media format
Extent
Language
Size
Reference IDs
Burnim & Highfill. John Bell: p. 16-17
Folger bibliographic ID: 264061
ESTC number: T65177
Folger call number: PR2752 1788a copy 3 Sh.Col
Folger holdings ID: 349651
Accession Number: cs1854
Notes
Bibliographic format
octavo
General notes
In 1785, Bell began to issue separate plays, seriatim, collecting them in twenty quarto volumes in 1788 as Dramatick writings of Will. Shakspere (Burnhim and Highfill, p. 16-17). Individual plays are of two or more editions of different date, usually mixed sets; plays of the first edition were printed in two formats, 8vo and 12mo (Folger card catalog) Title transcription and imprint from v. 3 title page Volumes 1 and 2 with title pages: Prolegomena to the dramatick writings of Will. Shakspere. Volumes 3-20 with two plays followed by their "Annotations by Sam. Johnson & Geo. Steevens, and the various commentators, upon [play title], written by Will. Shakspere." Each vol. with a half-title and a vol. title page; each play with an individual title page bearing the heading "Bell's edition"; each annotation with an individual title page. Plays and annotations dated between 1785-1787 Plays and annotations with separate pagination and signatures; presumably also issued separately Engraved illustrations, dated between 1784-1788, variously lettered by engravers: Cook, R. Cosway, Burk, Delattre, C. Sherwin, Bartolozzi, Sharpe, Grignion, Newnham, M. Brown, Thornthwaite; and by artists: Dance, Rhamberg, Burney, Sanders The prefaces of Pope, Theobald, Hanmer, Warburton, and Johnson; and a list of subscribers in v. 1. Malone's Attempt to ascertain the chronological order in which the plays of Shakspere were written, and Some account of the life, &c. of Mr. William Shakespear by Rowe in v. 2 Annotations upon King Henry IV, part 1 with "Mr. Tollet's opinion concerning the Morris Dancers upon his window" accompanied by folded engraving lettered: Grignion sculpt., in v. 11 Portions of PR2752 1788a copy 2 Sh.Col. and portions of copy 1 also available as a digital reproduction
Contents
v. 1-2. Prolegomena -- v. 3. Tempest ; Two gentlemen of Verona -- v. 4. Merry wives of Windsor ; Much ado about nothing -- v. 5. Measure for measure ; Comedy of errors -- v. 6. Love's labour's lost ; Midsummer-night's dream -- v. 7. Merchant of Venice ; As you like it -- v. 8. Taming of the shrew ; All's well that ends well -- v. 9. Twelfth-night ; Winter's tale -- v. 10. Macbeth ; King John -- v. 11. King Richard II ; King Henry IV, part 1 -- v. 12. King Henry IV, part 2 ; Henry V -- v. 13. King Henry VI, part 1-2 -- v. 14. King Henry VI, part 3 ; King Richard III -- v. 15. King Henry VIII ; Coriolanus -- v. 16. Julius Caesar ; Antony and Cleopatra -- v. 17. Timon of Athens ; King Lear -- v. 18. Hamlet ; Titus Andronicus -- v. 19. Troilus and Cressida ; Othello -- v. 20. Cymbeline ; Romeo and Juliet
Exhibited
Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, 2018. Form and Function. Opening: Closed (Pr 2752 1788a copy 1 v.17 Sh.Col)
Item information about Folger PR2752 1788a copy 3 Sh.Col
Imperfect: 3 volumes consisting primarily of annotations upon plays: v.1 with contents, list of subcribers, annotations upon King Richard II and King John, and Rowe's Life; v.2 with annotations upon Kimg Lear, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Titus, Coriolanus, and Cymbeline; v. 3 with annotations upon Tempest, All's well, Merry wives, King Henry V, King Henry VI, part 1, and Much ado. Anonymous armorial bookplate (motto: Semper fidelis). Half leather armorial binding with paper boards. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Folger
Also known as
Extended title: The dramatick writings of Will. Shakspere : with the notes of all the various commentators; printed complete from the best editions of Sam. Johnson and Geo. Steevens
Alternate titles: Dramatic writings of William Shakespeare
Related names
associated with: Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784
associated with: Steevens, George, 1736-1800
associated with: Pope, Alexander, 1688-1744
associated with: Hanmer, Thomas, Sir, 1677-1746
associated with: Warburton, William, 1698-1779
associated with: Theobald, Mr. (Lewis), 1688-1744
associated with: Rowe, Nicholas, 1674-1718
associated with: Malone, Edmond, 1741-1812
associated with: Tollet, George, approximately 1725-1779
bookseller: Bell, John, 1745-1831
publisher: Bell, John, 1745-1831
printmaker: Cook, Thomas, approximately 1744-1818
illustrator: Dance, Nathaniel, Sir, 1735-1811
illustrator: Burney, Edward Francis, 1760-1848
printmaker: Delattre, Jean Marie, 1745-1840?
printmaker: Cosway, Richard, 1740-1821
illustrator: Ramberg, Johann Heinrich, 1763-1840
illustrator: Sanders
printmaker: Sherwin, Charles, 1764-1794
printmaker: Bartolozzi, Francesco, 1727-1815
printmaker: Sharp, William, 1749-1824
printmaker: Grignion, Charles, 1721-1810
printmaker: Thornthwaite, J., 1740?-
printmaker: Brown, Mather, 1761-1831
former owner: Steevens, George, 1736-1800
signer: Bell, John, 1745-1831
binder: Kalthoeber, Christian Samuel, active 1780-1817
former owner: Burnham Abbey (Buckinghamshire, England)
signer: Wm. White and Son