Beschreibung:

Title: Mr. VVilliam Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true originall copies Author: Shakespeare, William Place: London Publisher: Printed by Tho. Cotes Date: 1632 Description: [20], 303, [1], 46, 49-100, [2], 69-232, 168, 269-419, [1] pp. (A6, *4, A-2B6, 2C2, a-y6, 2a-3c6, 3d4 - NOTE: 1st 6 leaves & final leaf are in facsimile). Title with engraved portrait by Martin Droeshout Double column text within typographical rules. Woodcut headpieces and initials. (folio) 33.8xx22 cm (13¼x8¾"),old calf, rebacked with later calf at some time, morocco spine label. The second folio edition of William Shakespeare’s Works, one of the great landmarks of English literature and a cornerstone of any rare book collection. The Second Folio reprints (on a page-for-page basis) the 1623 “First Folio” – the first printing of Shakespeare’s collected plays. As copies of the 1623 First Folio are of very great rarity and cost in private hands, the Second Folio is essentially the earliest obtainable printing of Shakespeare’s plays. Gregg notes that, “Though many errors were introduced in the course of reprinting, the text of the present edition shows signs of careful, if unauthorized, revision.” There are five variant title-page imprints of the first issue - the facsimile title-page of the present copy has the imprint of the principal publisher Robert Allott. Called the “Soul of the Age,” Shakespeare captured the human experience with a pen “true to nature” and with the largest recorded English vocabulary of any known individual. Shakespeare’s plays resonate with a universality transcending culture and time, and he is justly deemed the most famous writer in the world. 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, an event being marked worldwide. STC 22274; Greg III, pp.1113-1116; PMM 122 (1st Folio). Lot Amendments Condition: Some rubbing and extremity wear to binding, front cover detached; first six leaves and final leaf in facsimile, including the title page and "To the Reader"; some fairly minor soiling and occasional slight stains to contents; leaf *3 with lower corner replaced not affecting text; leaf F2 with top corner and margins replaced, with some of the border and the page numbers in facsimile; leaf vv6 with repair in lower margin extending into text to affect 3 letters; 18 leaves with lower corners repaired only in margins and not affecting text. A large and handsome copy, rarely found in old calf binding. Item number: 277058