This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/10/2020
SHAKESPEARE, William (1564–1616); BLAKE, William (1757–1827), engraver. The Plays of William Shakespeare. London: Printed for F.C. and J. Rivington, et al, 1805. 10 vols. Royal 8vo. Edited by Alexander Chalmers. LARGE PAPER COPY IN 10 VOLUMES, limited to 500 sets “on finest paper” (see Weinglass p. 239). There was also a 9-volume small paper edition (3,250 sets printed) but “the ten-volume edition is considerably more elegant” (Bentley Blake Books 498). Portrait frontispiece of Shakespeare in Vol. I and 37 copper engraved plates after Fuseli, including 2 by William Blake. Later half navy blue morocco over marbled boards, raised bands, compartments framed and titled in gilt, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers, STAMP-SIGNED BY PAWSON & NICHOLSON BINDERY (gentle rubbing to boards and spine ends, discrete sunning to backstrips, pale upper marginal dampstaining to few volumes). CONSIDERED THE BEST ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION OF SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS. Provenance: From the private library of a local Chicago collector, part one.