The Works of Shakespeare. Carefully Revised and Corrected by the Former Editions, and Adorned with Sculptures Designed and Executed by the Best Hands by SHAKESPEARE William - 1744-1743

Oxford: Imprimatur. Gualt Hodges, Vice-Can. Oxon, 1744-1743. First edition thus. skillfully rebacked to style in mid-1900s, contemporary speckled boards, all edges stained red. Some rubbing of edges of some boards, very light scattered foxing, overall very nice. Armorial bookplate in each volume. Large quarto. Six volumes, complete Illustrated with copper engraved frontispiece portrait of Shakespeare, two plates of the Westminster and Stratford monuments, 36 copper engraved plates (one for each play) and many decorative tailpieces by Hubert Gravelot after Francis Hayman. Gravelot actually created five of the plates due to time constraints From the library of U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Schwartz, 1912-2000 Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th Baronet (24 September 1677 – 7 May 1746) was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1714 to 1715, discharging the duties of the office with conspicuous impartiality. He is, however, perhaps best remembered as being one of the early editors of the works of William Shakespeare.Hanmer's Shakespeare was published at Oxford in 1743-44, with nearly forty illustrations by Francis Hayman and Hubert Gravelot. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states that "The print and binding were magnificent, and caused its value to rise to nine guineas, when Warburton’s edition was going for eighteen shillings.[Jaggard 499. Grolier, Shakespeare's Plays 11. Lowndes 2260].