First Illustrated Edition "The Works of Mr. William Shakespear" Set, 1709
Item Details
This 1709 set of The Works of Mr. William Shakespear, in Six Volumes is a first edition that was revised and corrected by Nicholas Rowe and a first illustrated edition of Shakepeare’s work. Volume I features a preface written by Rowe and the chapter titled ‘Some Account of the Life, etc. of William Shakespear’. This set, however, is missing all the works in Volume V. Volume VI was divided into two separate volumes which are thusly numbered Volumes V and VI. Listed are the titles for each volume in order of appearance.
Volume I: The Tempest, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost.
Volume II: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well that Ends Well, Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale
Volume III: King John, King Richard II, King Henry IV, Part I, Henry IV, Part II, King Henry V, King Henry VI, Part I, King Henry VI, Part II.
Volume IV: King Henry VI, Part III, Richard III, King Henry VIII, Troilus and Cressida, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus.
Volume V: Anthony and Cleopatra Cymbeline, Pericles Prince of Tyre,
Volume VI: London Prodigal, Thomas Lord Cromwell, Sir John Oldcastle, The Puritan, A Yorkshire Tragedy, Locrine.
The works in Volume VI are under question as to whether they represent the words of William Shakespeare or are the works of other writers of the times.
Links to additional information about Nicolas Rowe and the first illustrated works of William Shakespeare are included below.
| Title and Author/Editor | The Works of Mr. William Shakespear; in Six Volumes. Revis’d and Corrected, with an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author (William Shakespeare and Nicholas Rowe) |
| Genre | Anthologies, Plays |
| Illustrator | François Boitard (French, 1667–1719) |
| Type of Illustration | Engravings |
| Binding | Half leather with marbled boards |
| Publisher or Printer | Printed for Jacob Tonson |
| Publication Year | 1709 |
| Period | Early 18th Century |
| Place of Publication | London |
| Edition Statement | First Edition Edited by Nicholas Rowe, First Illustrated Edition |
| Language | English |
| Number of Books | 6 |
Condition
- wear to the covers with bumped corners, rubbed edges, leather loss and soiling; cracked hinges; loose/detached pages, repairs, interior markings, cut section, chipping and soiling to text pages; discoloration and foxing to text blocks and text edges; 36/44 plates remain; condition varies per volume.
Dimensions
- measures one volume.
Item #
ITMG641325
Additional Information
Nicholas Rowe, First Illustrated Works of William Shakespeare
