The Works of Shakespeare. [Cosway].

The Constable Edition of The Works of Shakespeare; one of only 1,000 copies bound by BaynTun in cosway-style binding and elaborately illustrated with original watercolors

The Works of Shakespeare. [Cosway].

SHAKESPEARE, William. Edited by W. E. Henley [Cosway].

Item Number: 95176

Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable; Grant Richards, 1903-1904.

The Constable edition of the works of Shakespeare. Folio, ten volumes. Elaborately bound in full blue morocco by Bayntun Riviere in Cosway-style binding with hand painted portrait medallions under glass to the front panel of each volume, gilt titles to the spine, gilt tooling to the spine and front panel, fleuron cornerpiece designs within gilt frames, raised gilt bands, inner dentelles, top edge gilt, silk endleaves, ribbon bound in. Illustrated with 479 tissue-guarded plates and 531 original illustrations, 525 of which are original watercolors. One of only 1,000 copies, this is number 149. Volume X is signed by Grant Richards, who produced that volume only, on the limitation page. Each volume contains four plays, with the exception of volume ten which contains two plays followed by Shakespeare’s narrative poems and sonnets. In near fine condition. Exceptionally rare and desirable. A stunning set.

English poet, playwright, and actor, William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His extant works consist of approximately 38 plays and 154 sonnets. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright to this day. Shakespeare’s early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best work ever produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies including Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth; and in his late phase wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances. Cosway bindings (named for renowned 19th-century English miniaturist Richard Cosway) were popularized, if not invented, in the early 1900s by the renowned London bookselling firm of Henry Sotheran. The earliest Cosway bindings were created by Miss C.B. Currie who faithfully imitated Cosway's detailed watercolor style of portraiture from designs by J.H. Stonehouse, Sotheran’s manager. These delicate miniature paintings, often on ivory, were set into the covers or doublures of richly-tooled bindings and protected by a thin pane of glass.

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