The Pictorial Edition of the Works. Edited by Charles Knight.

SHAKESPEARE, William.

Published by London: Charles Knight and Co., [1838-1843]

About this Item

First edition of Knight's illustrated Shakespeare. Distinguished for its textual accuracy, excellent biographical preface, and wealth of wood-engravings, the edition was an "extraordinary achievement" on the part of its editor (Young, p. 30). Charles Knight (1791-1873) was already a Shakespeare lover and bibliophile in his teens, when he owned an imperfect First Folio which he made up by printing the missing pages from a facsimile edition. "His first major project as an author took shape in 1837, when he resolved to produce a pictorial edition of Shakespeare's works. He started searching for 'authentic' visual materials and began a critical reading of the texts" (ODNB). This led to a deep interest in the playwright's life, and an original biography issued with this set. This set also includes a volume titled "Doubtful Plays", which includes works now attributed to Shakespeare, and excerpts from more obscure plays generally considered part of the Shakespeare apocrypha, including The Life and Death of Thomas Lord Cromwell and The Merry Devil of Edmonton. Jaggard, p. 522. Alan R. Young, "Charles Knight and The Nineteenth-Century Market for Shakespeare", Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vo. 103, no. 1, 2009. 8 vols, quarto (241 x 151 mm). Illustrated titles pages and over 1,000 wood-engravings. Contemporary green calf, compartments richly decorated in gilt separated by flat bands, burgundy morocco labels, gilt boarder to boards, blue endpapers, inner dentelles gilt, gilt edges. Boards slightly marked, 3 volumes with faded labels, some mild foxing throughout. An excellent set.

Seller Inventory # 189909

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Pictorial Edition of the Works. Edited by Charles Knight.
• Publisher: London: Charles Knight and Co., [1838-1843]