The Book-Collector's Hand-Book; A Modern Library Companion (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1845 edition. Excerpt: ...Webster, the humorous, graceful and flowing Beaumont and Fletcher, or the stately, oratorical Massinger, who always seems to be pleading at the bar of justice. With us there is no difficulty in saying whom we ought to commence with, when the drama is in question--Shakspeare--Shakspeare, of course, --though it is not quite so easy to make choice of an edition amongst the numbers that are in the market. Upon the whole perhaps that by Singer1 best fulfils all the conditions, which we have chosen to consider as essential to give any work a place in our Hand-book; it is cheap, well got up, and, what is of more importance, it is very fairly edited, the notes being few but excellent. If cheapness be the principal thing required, there is an edition in one volume octavo; or if the purchaser be more desirous of having a copy, adapted by its small size to the pocket and convenient for travelling, there is a Liliputian edition.2 The poet Campbell3 has also edited Shakspeare, with remarks on his life and writings, but he has added nothing to his reputation by these 1 Ten vols. 18mo. with plates, 11.-One vol. (is. (id.; 8 vols. 32mo. 18s. Octavo, 1Gs. editorial labours. John Valpy, the printer, has also given to the world what he calls Valpy's Cabinet, Pictorial Edition of Shakspeare's Plays and Poems this last is accompanied with a life, glossarial notes, and an historical digest and argument prefixed to each play. As far as regards externals, it is unobjectionable, the type being large and clear, the paper good, and the whole moreover illustrated by a hundred and seventy-one plates, engraved on steel, including all those in BoydelFs edition. As to the text, John Valpy was neither a critic nor an antiquarian, and therefore was unable to amend it when corrupt, ...