- 539
Marlowe, Christopher
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
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Description
- Marlowe, Christopher
- The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta. As it was Playd before the King and Queene, in his Majesties Theatre at White-Hall, by her Majesties Servants at the Cock-pit. London: by J[ohn]. B[eale]. for Nicholas Vavasour, and are to be sold at his Shop in the Inner-Temple, neere the Church, 1633
- Paper, Ink
4to (6 3/4 x 4 7/8 in.; 172 x 124 mm). Title-page with woodcut ornament, woodcut initials and headpieces; lacking blank A1, title-page with a bit of neat marginal restoration, K2 with closed marginal tear, neatly filled wormhole running the length of the book in lower fore-edge corner occasionally affecting a letter, tiny and scarcely noticeable wormholes in lower margins B1–I3. Red morocco gilt, by Bedford.
Provenance
Frederick Locker-Lampson (bookplate) — Robert B. Adam (morocco label; Anderson Galleries, 15 February 1926, lot 249) — Frank Brewer Bemis (bookplate; sold by Bemis’s estate to The Rosenbach Company) — Harold Greenhill (bookplate) — H. Bradley Martin (bookplate; Sotheby’s New York, 1 May 1990, lot 3039). acquisition: Purchased at the foregoing sale through Bernard Quaritch
Literature
STC 17412; ESTC S109853; Greg 475; Grolier/English 23; Pforzheimer 642
Condition
4to (6 3/4 x 4 7/8 in.; 172 x 124 mm). Title-page with woodcut ornament, woodcut initials and headpieces; lacking blank A1, title-page with a bit of neat marginal restoration, K2 with closed marginal tear, neatly filled wormhole running the length of the the book in lower fore-degd corner occasionally affecting a letter, tiny and scarcely noticeable wormholes in lower margins B1I3. Red morocco gilt, by Bedford.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
First edition; this may be more properly termed the first surviving edition since the play had been entered in the Stationers' Registers in 1594 and ESTC presumes that it had been printed earlier. This edition was edited by Thomas Heywood, who wrote the dedicatory preface. An outstanding copy of a very rare book: no other copy has appeared at auction since this copy was sold in the Martin sale twenty-five years ago.