1443700 1709 Shakespeare. The Complete Poems.

 

Shakespeare.  The complete Poems.  Book Description: for Bernard Lintott, London, 1709. First issue of the second collected edition of Shakespeare's Poems complete in two volumes. Two octavo volumes in one. [6], 155, [1, blank]; [4], 98, [2, blank] pp.  Complete with final blank. General title, volume titles, and part titles, the latter with woodcut vignettes. Woodcut initials and typographical ornaments. Contemporary English panelled calf, panelled spine with black morocco lettering piece lettered in gilt. Front joint and spine extremities expertly repaired. Some light marginal browning, expert repair, with no loss, to one part title. Early ownership inscription of Clements Guest on first part title, the same inscription (later cancelled) on general title. From the library of Brent Gration-Maxfield, with his detailed bibliographical notes in neat pencil manuscript on front pastedown and blank. An excellent copy in an attractive contemporary binding. This issue is distinguished by the early dates given on four of the part titles of Volume I, namely 1630, 1632, 1599, and 1599 (in the second issue in dates were revised to 1609. Jaggard only knew of the first volume of this first issue, stating that the two-volume issue appeared in 1710, with the early dates given on the part titles revised to 1709 (Jaggard's error for 1609). Ford gives a more detailed account of the publication, beginning with the initial printing of the first volume only, followed 'shortly after' by the addition of the second volume (as here) with a general title, followed by a publication of both volumes with the subtitle imprints revised to 'Printed in the year 1609.'  Ford also notes variants of the present issue: this copy is the variant without the price at the foot of the general title and with the catchword 'To' on A2 verso. The Lintott edition was evidently an opportunistic enterprise occasioned by the publication by Tonson of Rowe's edition of Shakespeare's plays in 1709. Tonson had rights only to the Fourth Folio plays, and Lintott evidently responded to demand for a new edition of the poems, as did the printer Curll, whose 1710 edition of the poems is occasionally found making a supplementary volume to Rowe's edition. While Curll's one-volume edition of the poems came to be seen as the natural companion to the Rowe plays, Lintott's edition takes primacy. Ford, pp. 37-39. Jaggard, p. 434. Bookseller Inventory # 3288.  Ex Michael Sharpe.