The Plays of Shakespere, with notes by Charles Knight and Illustrations in Photogravure, In Six Volumes, Virtue & Co., c. 1890

This six volume set of The Plays of Shakespere, with notes by Charles Knight and published by Virtue & Co. c. 1890 (undated), presents the Bard’s dramatic works in a large, folio-sed Victorian format. Each volume is illustrated with high-quality photogravure portraits of leading stage actors of the day, offering both literary content and a glimpse into late 19th-century theatrical culture.

The scale of the presentation exemplifies the period’s appreciation for Shakespeare as both a national literary figure and a popular cultural icon.

The Plays of Shakespere, with notes by Charles Knight and Illustrations in Photogravure, In Six Volumes. (The Plays of Shakespeare...)

Published by Virtue & Co., London. Undated, but general appearance and style would indicate a date of c. 1890-1900.

A good set of 6 hardback volumes, each with burgundy leather spine and corners, with gilt rules to spine, and gilded black morocco title labels. With burgundy cloth over boards. Leather with some scuffing and bumping, and cloth with some wear and scuffing generally, as well as signs of water damage being evident. All volumes are soundly bound and secure.

Text is bright and clean throughout with occasional water damage marks at the lower edge, but text is relatively unaffected by the staining compared to the Plates. The Plates have clear signs of damp staining on many images (mostly at lower margins), also affecting tissue guards.

The photogravure images are lovely and of excellent quality, and printed on a thicker stock.

An imperfect set, but priced commensurate to the damage.

Text in English.

Dimensions of each volume: Approximately 369mm high x 275mm wide x c. 24mm deep.

Weight approximately 11kg (the set - unpacked).