The Plays of William Shakespeare – 1796 | English, Illustrated 6 volumes

The Plays of William Shakspeare published in 1796 in London was an impressive and highly collectable set of the complete plays of Shakespeare. This set featured numerous allegorical engravings as well as illustrations depicting scenes from the plays themselves.

This example includes six of the original 8 volumes, but retains some of the most famous plays including Macbeth, Merry Wives of Windsor, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Plays of William Shakspeare
• Author(s): William Shakespeare
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: London, Printed for Bellamy and Robarts
• Edition: 1796 edition
• Format: (8vo), six-volume set
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  8.5 in x 5.25 in (21.6 cm x 13.3 cm)
• Collation: each volume separately paged
• Illustrations: each play with two allegorical engravings
• Contents Include:
  • v.1: As You Like It, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Life of Shakespeare
  • v.2: Merry Wives of Windsor, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado About Nothing
  • v.4: Timon of Athens, Troilus and Cressida, Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar
  • v.5: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Macbeth
  • v.6: King John, King Richard II, King Henry IV, King Henry V
  • v.7: King Henry VI, King Richard III, King Henry VIII
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): references

Condition:

Good. Full leather bindings display wear at hinges and corners, with some hinges reinforced. Text blocks are complete with mild age toning and occasional foxing. All engravings are present and intact.

Why Collect This?

• 1796 edition of Shakespeare’s dramatic works
• Allegorical illustrations uncommon in later editions

Item Number: # 29281