Condition: Good: Good condition for a used book! Some wear. Gilded page edges. Burgundy leather spine and corners. Beautiful endpapers. Former library book but still an incredibly beautiful book. Spine ends and corners rubbed and show moderate wear. Edgewear. One corner where the leather and regular board meets, there is some fabric sticking up but it is still secure and won't be visible on a shelf. See images for the condition of this book. The illustrations alone are the best reason to own this beauty.
Blurb: Literary studies-Hamlet, King Henry VIII, Pericles and Poems. Illustrations by Gordon Browne. Notes and Introductions to Each Play by F. A. Marshall.
Henry Irving, the influential and controversial Victorian actor, was closely involved in the publication of this distinctive Shakespeare edition. As an actor, his concern was largely with the intellectual project of seeing each play as a unified work, rather than with producing strong emotional effects in the audience. In the words of his obituary in The Times, he appealed to scholars 'by his reverent and often acute treatment of the text', and accustomed playgoers to look for 'more than empty amusement'. To the edition, he brought a sense of the plays in performance which has never been equalled before or since. Addressing a general readership, he both included notes on cuts used by professional companies and suggested others that would facilitate amateur performances. Gordon Browne's illustrations, which suggest the contemporary styles of stage costume, are another attractive feature of this edition, which will appeal to Shakespearians and theatre historians alike.