Johnsons Preface Edition Shakespears Plays by Johnson Samuel (5 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson et al., 1765. First edition. v - lxxii. Without half-title. 8vo. Half blue morocco, blue coated cloth. 2 raised bands. Gilt lettering and decoration on spine. Early 20th century binding. Flower vase ornament on title page. Bookplate of J.T. Williamson on front endpaper. Tiny, almost calligraphic annotations, possibly in a 19th century hand. A few notes on the title page referring to Johnson's work "The Rambler," and multiple book references on the last page. An unusually crisp and clean copy with no foxing. Very fine, and rare thus. "But the greater part of his excellence was the product of his genius. He found the English stage in a state of the utmost rudeness; no essays either in tragedy or comedy had appeared. Neither character nor dialogue were yet understood Shakespeare may be truly said to have introduced them both amongst us, and in some of his happier scenes to have carried them both to the utmost height." (p. xxxix).

First separate edition. First separate edition. Woodcut ornament to title-page. [iii]-lxxii pp., lacking half-title. 8vo. The first separate printing of Johnson's Preface to his celebrated edition of Shakespeare. Johnson's "humanely poised preface" (ODNB) is the pinnacle of 18th-century Shakespeare criticism. Adam Smith described it as the "most manly piece of criticism that was ever published in any country." This offprint is printed from the type of the second impression of Johnson's Shakespeare, with new title. Fleeman 65.10SP/2b; Courtney & Smith, p. 107; Chapman & Hazen, p. 148; Tinker 1347; Rothschild 1249; ESTC T006431 Mottled calf, black morocco spine label, a.e.g., gilt turn-ins, by Riviere & Son. Light rubbing to joints, washed, with faint trace of early inscription at head of title Woodcut ornament to title-page. [iii]-lxxii pp., lacking half-title. 8vo.

LeatherBound. Condition: New. LeatherBound edition. Condition: New. Reprinted from 1765 edition. Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden leaf printing on spine. Bound in genuine leather with Satin ribbon page markers and Spine with raised gilt bands. A perfect gift for your loved ones. Pages: 79 NO changes have been made to the original text. This is NOT a retyped or an ocr'd reprint. Illustrations, Index, if any, are included in black and white. Each page is checked manually before printing. As this print on demand book is reprinted from a very old book, there could be some missing or flawed pages, but we always try to make the book as complete as possible. Fold-outs, if any, are not part of the book. If the original book was published in multiple volumes then this reprint is of only one volume, not the whole set. Sewing binding for longer life, where the book block is actually sewn (smythe sewn/section sewn) with thread before binding which results in a more durable type of binding. Pages: 79.

First Edition. 8vo, pp. [iii]-lxxii, wanting the half-title; else a very good copy in modern wrappers.First separate edition. 'The separate Preface seems to be scarce. It is possible that the publishers were reluctant to let people read Johnson's preface without paying for his edition and while unable in decency to resist the public demand or the author's request protected themselves by printing a small edition' (Chapman & Hazen). Press figures show that the separate Preface is from the samem setting as the second edition of the plays, which was on sale within a month of the first. Courtney & Nichol Smith, p. 107; Chapman & Hazen, p. 148; Rothschild 1249; D. D. Eddy, 'Samuel Johnson's Editions of Shakespeare (1765)' in PBSA (1962), pp. 428-444. Language: English.

FIRST SEPARATE EDITION. 218 x 130 mm. (8 1/4 x 5"). 2 p.l., v-lxxii pp. 20th century speckled calf with a simple gilt border by Sangorski & Sutcliffe (with their stamp-signature on the front turn-in), raised bands on spine, red morocco spine title label with gilt lettering, and gilt edges (joints expertly repaired). Flower vase ornament on the title page. Ownership signature of "M. Dawes" on the title page. Courtney & Smith, p. 107; Fleeman 65.10SP/2b; ESTC T-6255. âCorners and edges somewhat rubbed, but covers very well preserved, marginal loss to the upper corner of leaf a2, lightly toned throughout, but otherwise a very clean and appealing copy. This is a well-preserved copy of the separate edition of Samuel Johnson's lauded "Preface" to "The Plays of William Shakespeare," complete with the half title. The "Preface" originally accompanied Johnson's eight-volume edition of Shakespeare (also published in 1765), a project that took the good doctor 20 years to complete, partly because of the scope of the undertaking and partly because of his own procrastination. Courtney & Smith notes that "Adam Smith is said to have called it 'the most manly piece of criticism that was ever published in any country.'" Indeed, the "Preface" seems to have been the most highly regarded and influential section of Johnson's entire corpus of work and gave "great impetus to Shakespearian study." It is quite likely that the "Preface" was one of the last sections Johnson delivered to the printer, as suggested by the presence of bracketed signatures in the original printing. That the editors saw fit to publish a separate edition of the "Preface" so close on the heels of "The Plays" speaks to the immediate popularity and acclaim it generated when first appearing as part of the larger work. The half title is not infrequently missing, a fact that in the present case is more than usually significant since it contains the price (one shilling), showing that the work was separately published. It is more than conceivable that the "M. Dawes" who signed the title page was the miscellaneous writer Manasseh Dawes (d. 1829), known in particular for his "Essay on Intellectual Liberty," published in 1780.