Bell's Edition Shakespeare's Plays, Used (8 results)

Condition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. No dust jacket. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,250grams, ISBN:0719101174.

Hardback. Condition: Good to Very Good. Presumed First Edition Thus. 1773. Presumed first edition thus in 8 volumes, bound in 4, containing all 36 plays from the First Folio (we believe that a 9th volume was also issued containing 'Poems Written by Shakespeare' and 'The Life of Shakespeare', but this is not present. [i], xxiv, 300pp.; [i], 384pp.; the plays in volumes 3 and 4 are numbered separately thus: [i], 70pp., 71pp., 84pp., 62pp., 72pp.; [i], 64pp., 74pp., 78pp., 80pp., 72pp.; [i], 349pp; [i], 366pp.; [i], 364pp.; [i], 287pp. Many of the plays have between 1 and 6 pages of a publisher's catalogue and all the plays apart from The Taming of the Shrew in volume 6 have an engraved frontispiece showing a scene from the play. The editions of Shakespeare's plays produced by the printer and publisher John Bell were different form the scholarly editions being produced at the same period by Samuel Johnson, George Steevens and others. They were acting editions, based on the text actually used in the playhouses, and were intended to allow theatre-goers to read the words they would hear at the theatre. We understand that it was edited by the actor Francis Gentleman, who in an early exercise in bowdlerisation tried to make the text, with some scenes and characters perceived as "highly derogatory" to Shakespeare's general merit, more morally acceptable to readers. Gentleman attempted to omit "glaring indecencies" and to identify minor ones typographically, by placing them in italics, parentheses, or quotation marks, as a sign to ladies and youths to skip them. He did not provide textual notes, but did supply opinions about the desired qualities and appearance of the actors of various roles, and comments on the effect or merit of some speeches. As well as this acting edition, Bell also produced an illustrated literary edition, in 20 volumes, published in 1785-88. The books are uniformly bound in probably slightly later half leather over marbled paper covered boards with gold titling on leather labels and five thin raised bands of the spine. The cases of the books have shelf wear to the boards and scuffing to the leather around the corners and on the spines. There is a small bit of damage to the leather at the bottom rear spine corners of the 2nd and 3rd book and some damage and a little loss at the top of the spine of all 4 books. The contents are tight and clean with a few pages having pencil-written notes or marks. There is a little scattered light foxing and heavy foxing to the first 15 pages of volume 3 (King Richard III). There is a crack down the spine between pages 350 and 351 and page 315 protrudes from the fore edge of volume 5 (Twelfth Night). Blank page between volumes 1 and 2 and volumes 3 and 4 have a hand-written list of contents. There is water staining on the fore edge of the illustrations in volumes and 7 and 8, the title and following first few pages of volume 7 (King Richard II) and volume 8 (Titus Andronicus). The staining in volume 8 is heavier than in volume 7 and the general title page to volume 8 also has a noticeable brown stain along the top edge. There may be some other minor faults that we have missed but there is no inscription. PLEASE NOTE: This is a fairly heavy set and extra postage will be required.

6 vols (of 9) Full calf with 5 raised bands, red/gilt title labels. vols 1 and 5 have lost most of their labels, vols 6,7,8 and 9 have lost gilt numbering, most volumes have ownership dated 1834. Contents throughout clean, bright and tight. All bindings firm.Vol1: Containing an Essay on Oratory, As You Like It, Macbeth, Othello, All's Well That Ends Well. Portrait engraved frontispiece, xxiiipp list of subscribers, 57pp Introduction to Shakespeare's plays, including Dedication to David Garrick, Advertisement, and an Essay on Oratory. + 2pp Books published by John Bell. Engraved frontispiece to each playVol 5: Containing: Twelfth Night. Winter's Tale. Julius Caesar. Coiolanus. Timon of Athens.Volume 6: Containing: Two Gentlemen of Verona. Taming of the Shrew. Troilius and Cressida. Anthony and Cleopatra.Volume 7: Containing: King Richard 2nd. Henry 6th parts 1,2 and3.Volume 8: Containing: Titus Andronicus. Comedy of Errors. Midsummer's Night Dream. Love's Labours Lost.Volume 9: Contains Poems written by Shakespear. 29pp The Life of Shakespeare. 8pp Intro and contents. 221pp poems + 2pp publisher's list to rear. For more information please contact bookseller.

(Vol.I:) 2 Bll. (davon 1 allgemeines Titelblatt / general title-page (dat. 1774), gestaltet von Chinnery, gest. v. Whitchurch) u. 1 Frontispiz-Portrait ("Wm. Shakespear (!) at the age of 40", engraved by Hall, 1773), 300 S., 8 Bll. Bildtafeln, 7 Bll. Buchanzeigen; (Vol.II:) 2 Bll., 384 S., 10 Bll. Bildtaf. u. 7 Bll. Anzeigen; (Vol.III:) 2 Bll., 72 S., 70(2) S., 84 S., 59(1) S., 72(2) S. u. 8 Bll. Bildtaf.; (Vol.IV:) 2 Bll., 64(8) S., 74 S., 78(6) S., 80(4) S., 72(2) S. u. 10 Bll. Bildtaf.; (Vol.V:) 2 Bll., 349(3) S., 9 Bll. Bildtaf. u. 6 Bll. Anzeigen; (Vol.VI:) 2 Bll., 71(1) S., 83(1) S., 107(1) S., 108(2) S. u. 8 Bll. Bildtfaf.; (Vol.VII:) 2 Bll., 86 S., 364(2) S. u. 8 Bll. Bildtaf.; (Vol.VIII:) 2 Bll., 294(2) S. u. 8 Bll. Bildtaf.; (Vol.IX:) 1 Bl. (ohne das allg.Titelbl. / without the general title-page), 1 Frontispiz (wie in Bd.1), 1 gest. Titelblatt ('Poems') mit Shakespeare-Portrait im Medaillon), 40 S., 221(5) S. u. 1 Bildtaf.; Kl.-Oktav (ca. 10,8 x 18 cm), brauner, gold-verz. HLdr.d.Zt., Rückentitel in rot und dkl.-grün, Stehkantenvergoldung - Jaggard,1959,504. Unterschiedliche Auflagen in gleicher Ausstattung und einheitlicher Bindung. Schöne, dekorative Ganzlederausgabe mit 70 gestochenen Bildtafeln zu den Stücken. "Bell published the first 'acting edition' of Shakespeare's works, As they are now performed at the Theatres Royal in London" (Dobson, M. / Wells, S.: The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, 2001). Mit den Stichen von E. Edwards, Parkinson, Isaac Taylor, I. K. Sherwin, R. Dighton u. J. Roberts. "A general title-page appears in each of the volumes, in addition to the independent title to each play. (.) The 'Poems' fill the whole of the ninth volume, with a special title-page." (Jaggard). - Bis auf 'Julius Caesar' mit allen datierten Einzeltitelblättern. Nur leichtere Alters- bzw. Gebrauchsspuren, Bd. 1 mit feinem Spalt im Rücken u. kl. Abnagung am oberen u. unteren Rücken, insg. aber wohlerhalten. - Zus. 9 Bände.

Condition: Very Good. First Edition Thus. 8v0. pp 334, 4 frontis plates. Disbound (i.e. lacking covers) but otherwise in Êdecent sound condition with clean text. Suitable for rebinding or reading and reference.

Condition: Very Good. First Edition Thus. 8v0. pp 334, 5 frontis plates. Disbound (i.e. lacking covers) but otherwise in Êdecent sound condition with clean text. Suitable for rebinding or reading and reference.

Full Calf. Condition: Good. In 9 volumes. Contemporary full calf. Gilt panels to spines with leather title and volume labels. Various damage to spines, some volumes lacking labels, with wear to spine ends and along spine edges. Marbled endpapers. Engraved title and frontis to each play. Text generally clean. One section loose. All bindings firm. 8vo.

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).