1774 · London
by Shakespeare, William
London: printed for John Bell...and C. Etherington at York, 1774. 9 volumes, 12mo, each volume with an engraved title page, each play with a separately printed title page and an engraved frontispiece, portraits of Shakespeare and Garrick in volume 1, volume 9 contains a Life of Shakespeare and the poems; contemporary and almost certainly original calf-backed marbled boards, black morocco labels on spines; front cover loose on volume 1; volumes 2 and 3 length of spine with vertical crack; all joints cracked, extremities worn; yet still a compelling set, unrestored. "All the plays were paginated and printed separately for the use of playgoers ... Like that of 1747, this edition (dedicated to Garrick) was accused of being the worst ever published. To be 'damned with faint praise' sometimes proves the best aid to sales, as in this case. It scored a greater success than any previous issue, one week alone witnessing the sale of 800 sets. Doubtless the beautiful copperplates helped the output considerably" (Jaggard, p. 504).
(Inventory #: 23295)