Theatre

London: John and Josiah Boydell, 1802. 9 volume set, 17 inches tall. A magnificent full Georgian morocco binding with wide gilt raised bands, splendid gilt tooling in the panels and on the boards, typical of the period. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With the armorial bookplate of Charles Augustus Wild. Most unusually there is absolutely no splitting to the joints, no repairs and no loss. There are dents and abrasions to the boards but overall a spectacularly fine copy. Embellished with 95 engraved tissue guarded plates, making a total of 97 with the portraits. There is a degree of foxing to the plates, as usual. "A Magnificent national edition, in which splendour of production was to go hand in hand with correctness of text" Updike.

London: Edward Moxon, 1843-1846. 11 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. A truly splendid full hard grain morocco by one of the greatest binders of the period, White of Pall Mall. With gilt raised bands, unusual dense gilt tooling to the panels and gilt dentelles. All the edges are gilt over marbling. The heraldic crest on both boards is framed within magnificent gilt rolls and individual tooling. The crest with the motto 'Sic Donec' is that of William Tatton Egerton, 1st Baron Egerton of Tatton Park. A wonderful set of the Works of these two early 17th century English playwrights, often considered successors to Shakespeare.

Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Company, 1812. 14 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. A superb Georgian 'Country House' half morocco bound set with gilt raised bands, blind pallets and very handsome gilt centre tooling. Portraits. With the armorial book plate of Baldwin Bastard of Buckland Court. Some foxing especially to the preliminaries. This fine edition includes, for the first time from manuscript, Fletcher's tragicomedy 'The Faithful Friends'. Not printed in its own century, it is one of the most disputed works in English Renaissance drama. English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher collaborated in their writing in the early 17th century.

London: Septimus Prowett, 1825. 13 volume set, 9 inches tall. A splendid tall paper set in a magnificent hard grain morocco by one of London's most celebrated binders, Clarke & Bedford. With gilt raised bands, ornate gilt tooling to the panels and the play titles in the surely smallest type a binder could use. The boards framed within triple fillets, gilt dentelles and all edges. Some speckles to the boards. With the striking bookplate of John Wodehouse, Earl of Kimberley Foreign secretary under Queen Victoria. This collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean plays was significant in reacquainting the public with many previously neglected works. A very fine set.

London: Charles Knight, 1842. 8 volume set, 9.5 inches tall. A stunning extra gilt full morocco with gilt raised bands, fine gilt tooled panels and spectacular gilt tooling to the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Armorial bookplate. Occasional abrasions. A splendid set of this celebrated edition which is illustrated throughout.

London: Chapman & Hall, 1866. 9 volume set, 8.75 inches tall. An exceptionally handsome set in full red morocco with gilt raised bands, gilt titles, panels and all edges. the boards are framed with gilt and blind tooling. With the Royal cipher of Marie Therese. A fine copy of the celebrated Dyce edition of the Complete Works of England's greatest playwright.

London: London Printing and Publishing Company, c 1870. 3 volume set, 11 inches tall. Sparkling full morocco with gilt raised bands and superb gilt tooling to the panels and boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. With Splendid vignettes and full page illustrations by Kenny Meadows. A pristine set of this entertaining edition.

London: John C. Nimmo, 1890. 2 volume set, 10 1/2 inches tall. A very fine full morocco binding by the great firm of J. Leighton of Brewer Street. With gilt raised bands, superb gilt tooling to the panels and boards, gilt dentelles and all edges. With the bookplate of Alfred de Rothschild. Some superficial marking to the binding, but a super set. From a limited edition of 210 copies with the etchings in 2 states and the 'Masks', illustrating the Italian Commedia dell' Arte, hand coloured. A wonderful set of the Memoirs of this great Venetian 18th century playwright in English.

London: T. Becket, 1781. Full calf, 9 inches tall. A very fine binding by Riviere with gilt raised bands, delightful gilt floral tooling to the panels and triple gilt fillets framing the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edge, the remaining edges untrimmed. An exceptionally clean and tall copy, being untrimmed. This volume does have the very rare leaf of advertisements but lacks the half title, which could be explained by the fact that it is in a later binding and that it was discarded, or could indicate it is not a true first. Slight splitting to the head and foot of the upper board but still perfectly firm and solid. A very nice copy of this great play.

London: Bickers and Sons, 1864. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. A classic Victorian full calf with gilt raised bands, elaborate gilt tooling to the panels and densely tooled labels. The prize block of Rugby School is on the upper boards and a neat ink inscription is on the reverse of the free endpapers dated Midsummer 1865. Offsetting facing the portrait frontispiece, otherwise perfectly clean. A splendid set of all of Shakespeare's works including his Sonnets.

London: John Bell, 1791. 7 volumes, 6 inches tall. Full straight grain morocco with label, gilt bands, titles, superb centre tools, all edges and dentelles. This is the first 7 volumes of Tragedies, part of John Bell's British library series. Containing many plays all individually paginated. Each also has a superb engraved frontispiece and title page. An exceedingly pretty run.

London: Allason, Maynard and Blair, 1819. 9 volume set, 6 1/2 inches tall. A delightful Regency set in full straight grain calf with gilt raised bands and splendid gilt tooling to the panels. Frontispiece. Sporadic light foxing.

London: William Pickering, 1829-39. 3 volume set, 7 3/4 inches tall. A stunning full crushed morocco binding by 'The French Bindery Garden City N.Y.', in pristine condition. With raised bands, fine extra gilt tooling to the panels and a splendid gilt 'Cambridge panel' to each board. Gilt dentelles and top edge. With the bookplates of 'E.V.C.H'. and Beeleigh Abbey. George Peele was a 16th century English translator, poet, and dramatist, who is most noted for his supposed but not universally accepted collaboration with William Shakespeare on the play Titus Andronicus. He was renowned for his dissipated life style and little is actually known about his short life other than his remarkably influential output.

London: Nicol, Rivington et al, 1813. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. A simple but very fine later half crushed morocco by Ramage with gilt raised bands, titles and top edges. Bookplate. Portrait. A splendid set of the second edition of the dramatic works of this great seventeenth century English playwright.

London: Routledge, 1858. 3 volume set, 10 inches tall. A splendid full hard grain morocco with raised bands, finely gilt panels and elegant gilt tooling to the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. Edited by Howard Staunton and illustrated with engravings by John Gilbert. Slightly rubbed but overall a super copy of this celebrated edition.

London: Charles Tilt, c 1840. 8 volume set, 4 inches tall. Full morocco with gilt panels, gilt blocks to the boards and all edges gilt. A charming little set with a few small nicks to head and tail caps, otherwise in pristine condition.

Padova: Zanon Bettoni, 1811, 1812, 1817. 6 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A beautiful set in full cat's paw calf with gilt raised bands, delicate gilt tooling to the panels and twin labels. The boards are framed within a pair of gilt fillets. Contains the bookplate with the inscription “Philosophemur" (let us philosophise), which belongs to Dr. James Musgrave. He owned many books worthy of note, including the later ownership of Sir Isaac Newton's personal library. Carlo Goldoni was perhaps the greatest Italian playwright and librettist of the 18th century, famed for his wit and comedic style. He wrote in Italian and French making much use of his native Venetian language. In the original Italian.

Paris: Chez Prault pere, 1758. 10 volume set, 6 inches tall. A most attractive set in full speckled calf with gilt bands, twin labels, fine floral gilt tooling to the panels and pink edges. An early, revised and augmented, edition of this great French dramatist's works published just 4 years after his death.

London: Richard Bentley, 1838. 4 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very good looking full Victorian calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and fine gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and top edges. With the bookplate of Charles B. Cochran, the English theatrical producer. Embellished with 16 engraved plates, many folding. The life and career of Charles Mathews, celebrated English theatre manager and comic actor in theatre and entertainment in the 18th and 19th centuries.