Lot 728
  • 728

Shakespeare, William

Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 USD
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Description

  • Mr. VVilliam Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Originall Copies. The Second Impression. London: by Tho. Cotes, for Robert Allot and are to be sold at the signe of the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard, 1632
  • ink, paper, leather
Folio (13 1 /4 x 9 ins.; 340 x 228 mm). Portrait of the author by Martin Droeshout. Double-column text within typographical rules, woodcut headpieces and initials; a copy with remarkably few faults, "To the Reader" is creased and the short tears along lower margin are closed and reinforced,  some minor soiling and scribbling to title, ownership signature to title, tiny rust holes within text of eight leaves, lower corner of ff5 replaced, spot of loss to fore-margin of I1 repaired, pp1 fore-margin restored, occasional light staining to a few leaves, but a copy without supplied leaves or heavy restoration. Near-contemporary calf, single gilt rule to board edges, with near-contemporary gilt Chetwinde arms to sides, red morocco label; restoration to spine, upper joint tender with some cords exposing. Half morocco case.

Provenance

Walter Chetwinde (coat-of-arms; signature to title ) — Gregory Lewis Way (bookplate; penciled purchase and repair prices dated 1782 on blank). acquisition: Hamill & Barker

 

 

Literature

STC (2nd ed.), 22274a; ESTC S111235; Greg III 1113–115; Pforzheimer 906

Catalogue Note

The second folio edition of Shakespeare's works, the most important collection of texts in English literature, and containing a poem marking the first appearance in print of any work by John Milton. The second folio was essentially a page-for-page reprint of the first folio of 1623 and was printed by Thomas Cotes who had taken over Isaac Jaggard's shop in 1627. ESTC notes nine imprint variants of this edition, this being the second (Todd 1b).

With provenance of walter chetwinde, nephew of philip chetwind, the publisher of the third folio.

Through his 1637 marriage to Mary Allot, the widow of Robert Allot, Philip Chetwind obtained the rights to publish the next edition of Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. He first issued a corrected reprint of the Second Folio in 1663, and then another in 1664. To the latter Chetwind added seven works, all but one, Pericles Prince of Tyre, are now seen as spurious.