1813 The Plays of William Shakespeare

The very scarce complete 1813 twenty-one volume edition of the plays of Shakespeare. Referred to as the Reed Edition of 1813, this is also known as Johnson-Steevens-Reed 6, the “sixth edition” by Johnson-Steevens, or the “second variorum edition”.

With notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens, this edition was revised and augmented by Isaac Reed.

Consisting of:

Volume I – Prefatory material and critical analysis by Reed, Richardson, and Malone. Illustrated with a portrait frontispiece, and four plates.

Volume II – Essays by Farmer, Colman, lists of Editions, lists of Criticism, Commendatory verses, Malones “Attempt to Ascertain the Order of Shakespeare’s Plays,” Malone’s essay on Ford’s pamphlet, Steevens’s remarks on the same.

Volume III – Malone’s Historical Account of the English Stage, and the Further Historical Account by Chalmers. With four folding plates.

Volume IV – The Tempest; Two Gentlemen of Verona; Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Volume V – Merry Wives of Windsor; Twelfth Night.

Volume VI – Much Ado About Nothing; Measure for Measure.

Volume VII – Love’s Labour’s Lost; Merchant of Venice.

Volume VIII – As You Like It; All’s Well That Ends Well.

Volume IX – Taming of the Shrew; Winter’s Tale.

Volume X – Macbeth; King John.

Volume XI – King Richard II; King Henry IV, Part 1. With a folding plate.

Volume XII – King Henry IV, Part 2; King Henry V.

Volume XIII – King Henry VI, Part 1; King Henry IV, Part 2.

Volume XIV – King Henry VI, Part 3; Dissertation, &c.; King Richard III.

Volume XV – King Henry VIII; Troilus and Cressida.

Volume XVI – Coriolanus; Julius Caesar.

Volume XVII – Antony and Cleopatra; King Lear.

Volume XVIII – Hamlet; Cymbeline.

Volume XIX – Timon of Athens; Othello.

Volume XX – Romeo and Juliet; Comedy of Errors.

Volume XXI – Titus Andronicus; Pericles, and Dissertations; Addenda, and Glossarial Index.

Illustrated with five plates, four folding letterpresses, and one further folding plate. Collated, complete.

With a half title to each volume, and the inscription of Arnold Blake, 1886, to the half title of volume I.

An exceptional example of this impressive work.

Rebacked, in full calf bindings, retaining the original boards. Endpapers renewed. A touch of fading and light marks to back strips, otherwise externally excellent. Internally, firmly bound. Inscription to volume I half title, with leaf detaching to tail. Offsetting and light spotting to pages facing plates, with pages otherwise generally clean and bright.

Overall: Very Good Indeed