Dramatic Works. To which are added his poems. With some account of the author, and notes by the Rev. Alexander Dyce, B.A.

GREENE, Robert.

Edité par London: William Pickering, 1831

A propos de cet article

First edition. This was the first time the majority of Greene's works had been reprinted since the 17th century. The only exception was The Honourable History of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, which had been printed in Select Collection of Old English Plays (1825-7). "England's first celebrity author", Greene published 37 works in his lifetime and was known by his reputation as a drunk and a gambler (ODNB). He is perhaps now best known for his connections with Shakespeare. The 1592 pamphlet, Greenes Groats-Worth of Witte, attributed to Greene, is the first reference to Shakespeare as a London dramatist, and attacks him as an "upstart Crow, beatified with our feathers". The publications of William Pickering were renowned for their quality and the elegance of their design and typography, and his "achievements are now well acknowledged: the introduction of cloth binding, leading to the wider availability of books at lower prices; the publication of reputable editions of both standard and neglected works; and a close attention to book design which had a lasting influence" (ODNB). This edition has the famous dolphin and anchor device on the title page, emulating the sixteenth-century printing house of Aldus Manutius, with the motto 'Aldi Discip. Anglus' added. This copy is printed on large paper to fit an octavo format, causing the outer margins to vary in width. The result is a deliberate imitation of Italian book production from the early 16th century. In each gathering of eight leaves, four have a "bolt", meaning they are conjugate and remain unopened along the outer margin. In these volumes, leaves 5-8 have narrower margins than leaves 1-4, which retain the original left and right edges from the mould. Provenance: Richard Hobart Fitzgibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare (1793-1864). Fitzgibbon served as the Whig Member of Parliament for County Limerick until 1841. He was appointed Governor of Limerick in 1818, and later served twice as Lord Lieutenant of Limerick. Hayashi 12. Margaret Drabble, ed., The Oxford companion to English literature, 1985. 2 vols, octavo (194 x 143 mm). Contemporary green morocco, spines bordered and lettered in gilt, armorial stamp of Richard Hobart Fitzgibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare, in gilt on covers, gilt double-rule border to covers, gilt board edges and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, large paper printed in octavo format, edges gilt. Burn-mark to spine of vol. I, spines faded, rubbing to spines and extremities, marks to covers, light foxing: a very good copy.

N° de réf. du vendeur 177006

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Dramatic Works. To which are added his poems. With some account of the author, and notes by the Rev. Alexander Dyce, B.A.
• Éditeur: London: William Pickering, 1831
• Édition: Edition originale