Front cover image for The plays of Shakspeare : printed from the text of Samuel Johnson, George Steevens, and Isaac Reed

The plays of Shakspeare : printed from the text of Samuel Johnson, George Steevens, and Isaac Reed

Print Book, English, MDCCCVII [1807]
Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row; William Miller, Albemarle-Street; and A. Constable and Co., Edinburgh, London, MDCCCVII [1807]
12 v. : ill., 1 port. (engraving) ; 23 cm (8vo)
34618576
v. 1. Macbeth ; King John ; King Richard II
v. 2. King Henry IV ; King Henry V
v. 3. King Henry VI
v. 4. King Richard III ; King Henry VIII ; Midsummer-night's dream ; Titus Andronicus
v. 5. Comedy of errors ; Taming of the shrew ; Love's labour's lost
v. 6. Two gentlemen of Verona ; Romeo and Juliet ; Hamlet
v. 7. Merchant of Venice ; All's well that ends well ; Much ado about nothing
v. 8. As you like it ; Merry wives of Windsor ; Troilus and Cressida
v. 9. Measure for measure ; Winter's tale ; King Lear
v. 10. Cymbeline ; Julius Caesar ; Antony and Cleopatra
v. 11. Pericles ; Timon of Athens ; Coriolanus
v. 12. Othello ; Tempest ; Twelfth-night
"The collapse of James Ballantyne and Co., as a result of the printing of this expensive edition, resulted in the moral obligation felt by Sir Walter Scott, which in turn resulted in the writing of the Waverley novels" (Folger card catalog)
Printer information from half-title verso; "Edinburgh" follows address
Each play preceded by copperplate vignette. The artists were H. Howard, Singleton, smirke, T. Stothard, H. Thompson, and S. Woodforde. the engravers were C. Armstrong, W. Bromley, cromek, T.S. Engleheart, Fittler, J. Heath, J. Mitan, James Neagle, Raimback, L. Schiavonetti, E. Smith, and C. Warren
Some sets issued on large paper (Jaggard)
Direction lines and final leaves of text bear vol. numbers five numbers higher than actual vol., i.e.: v. 1 bearing "v. V"; "End of the fifth volume." Vol. title pages and contents pages reflect correct vol. number