The Pictorial Edition of the Works of Shakspere.

First Edition, bound from parts as issued, of Charles Knight’s Pictorial Edition of Shakespeare, “the first in the country conceived in a right spirit” (H. N. Coleridge). The publisher and writer Charles Knight (1791–1873) was already a Shakespeare lover and bibliophile in his teens, when he owned an imperfect First Folio which he made up by printing the missing pages from a facsimile edition. "[H]is first major project as an author took shape in 1837, when he resolved to produce a pictorial edition of Shakespeare's works. He started searching for ‘authentic’ visual materials and began a critical reading of the texts. His edition was based substantially — indeed, too substantially — on the first folio edition, although he made comparisons with other quartos and, in some cases, with originals in the British Museum. His background reading led to a deep interest in Shakespeare's life and the edition, published between 1838 and 1841 (he published six later editions of the works of Shakespeare), was prefaced with a one-volume biography [actually the biography was issued last, in 1843]. Knight succeeded in contextualizing Shakespeare's life as no biographer except Nathan Drake had done, and in dismissing a couple of the more absurd legends surrounding the playwright's early life" (ODNB). The edition is relatively scarce in its original format, being far more often met with in its 2-volume Imperial folio format of the 1870s.

8 volumes, 4to. Finely bound by Seton & Mackenzie in full contemporary dark green calf, spines richly decorated with gilt tooling in compartments, twin morocco title labels in crimson and dark green, raised bands, elaborate gilt panelling to boards, inner dentelles gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Engraved titles, many hundreds of wood engravings throughout. Some minor scuffing to boards, internally clean, a most handsome set.