THE COMEDIES, HISTORIES, & TRAGEDIES The Text of the First Folio Edited and amended Where Obscure by Herbert Farjeon

37 volumes. LIMITED EDITION, designed by Bruce Rogers, each volume hand-numbered 645 of 1950 sets printed. Each of the plays with laid-in original 4 page Club prospectus and commentaries. Each volume is illustrated by a different artist, including many of the leading international book illustrators of the time. Among those artist are Arthur Rackham, Eric Gill, Edward Wilson, Valenti Angelo, Fritz Eichenberg, Frans Masereel, Barnett Freedman, Robert Gibbings, Yngvu Berg, W. A. Dwiggins, etc., etc. The illustrations are from numerous media, such as woodcuts, lithographs, water colours, drawings, engravings, some include hand-colouring. Folios (13" x 8.85"), in the original floral paper covered boards backed in buckram, the spines gilt lettered, the design of the paper on the boards was inspired by painted walls in a house in Oxford where Shakespeare is known to have stayed, it also incorporates "The Plays of Shakespeare" on both front and rear. A exceptionally fine set, every volume is essentially pristine. The natural buckram used on the spines was prone to both foxing and soiling, but this set has been completely spared of both and is as clean and fresh as could be.

Edizione: a stunning set of bruce rogers' plays of william shakespeare for the limited editions club, one of the finest and most lavishly produced shakespeare editions of the twentieth century. much of the fame of the limited editions club is due to their employ of the finest book artist of the time, and for this grand set of shakespeare they certainly pulled no punches. artists from all over america, england, and europe are represented; thus the set provides a broad and diverse selection of artistic styles.<br> the text and arrangement of the plays is that of the first folio, with the exception of pericles, which was not included in that original monumental tome. its text is from the first quarto and is collated with the text of the second folio. the text has been edited and amended by herbert farjeon, creator of the nonesuch edition, and the entire set was designed by bruce rogers, who also oversaw the entire production.