Davenant, Sir William

folio (318 x 198mm.), FIRST COLLECTED EDITION, engraved frontispiece portrait by Faithorne after Grenhill, nineteenth-century navy blue morocco gilt by J. Larkins, spine in six compartments gilt, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, some browning, some slight wear and scuffing to binding

[Sir Edward Sullivan, sale, Sotheby's, 24 May 1890, lot 1855, £5-7-6, Sotheran]; William O'Brien, bequest booklabel dated 1899

Wing D320

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Six of the sixteen plays in this collection had not been previously printed. The royalist poet and dramatist Sir William Davenant (1606-68), who claimed to be an illegitimate son of William Shakespeare, is best remembered as the virtual founder of English opera with his Interregnum production The Siege of Rhodes (1656). He also wrote a series of comedies, high-flown tragedies and court masques in the late 1620s and ’30s, as well as publishing Madagascar and other Poems (1638), which contributed to his becoming Poet Laureate in 1638.