Twelfth Night – Shakespeare – c.1908 | W. Heath Robinson Illustrations

This illustrated edition of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare features 40 full-page color plates by W. Heath Robinson. Known for his playful style, W. Heath Robinson’s illustrations embody the humorous miscommunication and dramatic pining that are so central to this Shakespearean romantic comedy of mistaken identity and confused love. The volume includes the complete text of the play with an introduction by Arthur Quiller-Couch, a respected literary critic and author whose publication of The Oxford Book of English Verse influenced the literary taste and trends of the early 20^th century. Quiller-Couch also took great interest in printings of Shakespeare’s works, and his notes add a scholarly credence to this decorative Hodder & Stoughton edition.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Shakespeare’s Comedy of Twelfth Night, or, What you Will, With Illustrations by W. Heath Robinson
• Author: William Shakespeare
• Illustrator: W. Heath Robinson
• Contributor: Arthur Quiller-Couch (Introduction); T. and A. Constable (Printer)
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, London
• Edition: [c. 1908]
• Binding: Green cloth and decorative gilt
• Format: Quarto (4to), single volume
• Size: ~ 10 in x 7.75 in (25.5 cm x ~19.5 cm)
• Collation: xxiv, 143, [1]
• Illustrations: 40 color plates by W. Heath Robinson
• Contents Include:
  • Introduction by Arthur Quiller-Couch
  • Full text of Twelfth Night, or What You Will
  • Full suite of Robinson illustrations
• Provenance: Handwritten signature of Eleanor Parke Custis on front flyleaf. Eleanor Parke Custis (1897–1983) was an American artist who began her art career as a painter, creating watercolors and illustrations for Scribner’s Magazine, Harper’s, Doubleday, and Harcourt. She was later known for her pictorialist photography. She was also a direct descendant of Martha Washington.

Condition:

Very Good. The original cloth binding is lightly scuffed on both boards and around the edges. The text block is tight and secure, with intact hinges. Flyleaf reattached. The pages are clean, if very slightly toned around the margins. All 40 tipped-in plates are present and securely mounted with tissue guards.

Why Collect This?

• 40 color plates by W. Heath Robinson
• Early 20^th-century illustrated Shakespeare
• Scholarly introduction by Arthur Quiller-Couch

Item Number: #31293