The works of Mr. William Shakespear : in six volumes : adorn'd with cuts / revis'd and corrected, with an account of the life and writings of the author, by N. Rowe, Esq.

Plays. 1709

London : Printed for Jacob Tonson, within Grays-Inn Gate, next Grays-Inn Lane, MDCCIX [1709]

6 v. : ill., port. (engravings) ; 23 cm (8vo)

The first edition published after the four folios; the text is based on the fourth folio.
Contains the plays only.
This is the large paper issue with gutter margin 16 mm minimum; height of text block 22.5 cm minimum. The ordinary paper issue has a gutter margin of about 10 mm and a text block height of about 19.5 cm. There is also a large paper issue in 9 volumes.
With a general title page in v. 1; each volume with a volume title page; each play with an individual play title page, reading: Printed in the year 1709.
Vol. 1. Signatures: pi² A⁴ a-b⁸ c⁴ B-2G⁸. Pagination: [12], XL, 464 p., [10] leaves of plates. -- v. 2. Signatures: [A]1 B-2K⁸. Pagination: [5], 468-975, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 3. Signatures: [A]1 B-2N⁸. Pagination: [5], 980-1535, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 4. Signatures: [A]1 B-2L⁸ M⁴. Pagination: [5], 1540-2072 p., [7] leaves of plates. -- v. 5. Signatures: [A]1 B-2O⁸. Pagination: [5], 2076-2647, [1] p., [8] leaves of plates. -- v. 6. Signatures: A⁸ (-A1) B-2N⁸. Pagination: [5], 2656-3324 p., [10] leaves of plates.
Engraved frontispiece plates lettered: M. Vdr. Gucht sculp.; frontispiece included in each volume. Engraved portrait (v. 1) lettered: B. Arlaud del., G. Duchange scul., Mr. William Shakespear, p. 1 in the life. Engravings for plays lettered for pagination, attributed to artist Boitard and engraver Kirkall (see H.A. Hammelmann, Shakespeare's first illustrators, Apollo, supplement "notes on British art" p. 1-4, August 1968).
The Arlaud-Duchange portrait was issued in v. 1 of the large paper issues in 6 v. and in 9 v. of Rowe's 1709 works of Shakespeare. It was not executed and added later, as claimed by Ford (See Dawson, G.E. The Arlaud-Duchange portrait of Shakespeare. The Library, 1935, s4-XVI (3): 290-294).
Paged continuously; numerous errors in paging.

Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, 2005. David Garrick.
copy 1 v.1 Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, 2014. Shakespeare's the Thing. Opening: title page.
copy 1 v.1 Washington, D.C. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2016. Will and Jane: Shakespeare, Austen and the Cult of Celebrity. Opening: first page of the biography.

English short title catalogue (ESTC), T138296
Ford, H.L. Shakespeare 1700-1740, p. 10-11
Jaggard, W. Shakespeare bibliography, p. 497

Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library PR2752 1709a copy 1 Sh.Col.
Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library PR2752 1709a copy 2 Sh.Col

Great Britain -- England -- London.

PR2752 1709a copy 1 Sh.Col.

Some minor pencil drawings and manuscript markings. Armorial bookplate (motto: Mutare vel timere sperno) of The Most Noble Henry Duke of Beaufort, 1706; anonymous armorial bookplate (motto: PITCHES). Autograph: Ri. Edgcumbe, 1726 (v. 4). In early red goatskin binding with gold-tooled spine. Uniformly bound and shelved with the large paper 1710 issue of v. 7 (cataloged separately). Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Folger.

cs297

PR2752 1709a copy 2 Sh.Col.

Imperfect: lacking the portrait of Shakespeare (v. 1). Shipping label from bookseller to H.C. Folger (v. 1); tree leaf removed from between p. 3178-3179 (v. 6) to curatorial file. Armorial bookplate (motto: Cedant arma togae) of Sir John Reade in each vol. (either the 5th baronet 1721-1773, or the 6th, d. 1789); bookplate of David Garrick in v. 1. Bound in early gold-tooled sprinkled calf. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Folger.

cs336

PR2752 1709a copy 10 v. 6 Sh.Col.

Imperfect: v. 6 only; lacking the illustrations. "Collated literation with Fo.3; the variations given in red by P.A. Daniel." Full leather binding. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Folger.

cs1379