[Literature] [Shakespeare, William] The American Edition of Boydell's Illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shakspeare, By the Most Eminent Artists of Great Britain

New-York: Restored and Published with Original Descriptions of the Plates by Shearjashub Spooner, 1852. In two volumes. First American edition. Double elephant folio, 28 3/8 x 21 1/2 in. (721 x 546 mm). Illustrated with two engraved frontispieces, engraved vignette on each title-page, and 96 engraved plates (each with tissue guards), after works by Romney, Fuseli, West, Kauffman, et al. 20th-century three-quarter black morocco over blue cloth-covered boards, decorated in gilt; marbled endpapers; dampstaining and old mold residue in bottom right corner of all leaves in first volume; dampstaining in top corner of all leaves in second volume; plate 71 repaired along bottom edge verso; scattered light to moderate foxing throughout each volume; most text leaves in each volume toned.

Rare complete set of the first American edition of John Boydell's (1719-1804) monumental illustrations for the works of Shakespeare. First published in 1805, Boydell's project was nearly 20 years in the making, and utilized some the period's finest engravers to complete these fine and large plates. Spooner, an American dentist, purchased Boydell's original plates in the 1840s and restored them for the publication of this edition.

Often found incomplete, or as a single volumes, complete sets are very uncommon to auction.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.