PLAYS

178 x 110 mm. (7 x 4 1/4"). Lacking frontispiece portrait in volume I, and half-title for "The Confederacy" in volume II. Two volumes. Attractive modern half dark brown calf over marbled paper boards, raised bands ruled in gilt, compartments with large central gilt tool, gilt lettering. ◆A handful of minor closed tears, two corners torn away (affecting a few words on up to eight lines), a small number of leaves with soiling from printing process, other trivial imperfections, but a clean, bright copy, in bindings with virtually no signs of use. The witty and ribald comedies of John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), a soldier who spent some time imprisoned in the Bastille, are collected here in two attractively bound volumes. The plays include his two best-known works, "The Relapse" and "The Provok'd Wife," which DNB single out as "brilliant, not only because they are both entertaining and serious, but because they present contrived situations and ridiculous characters as credible, [and their] crafted and often metrical speech as natural.". …