The Plays of William Shakespeare, Accurately Printed from the Text of the Corrected Copies, Left by the Late George Steevens Esq. and Edmond Malone, Esq. [Fore-edge Painting].

SHAKESPEARE, William.

The Plays of William Shakespeare, Accurately Printed from the Text of the Corrected Copies, Left by the Late George Steevens Esq. and Edmond Malone, Esq. [Fore-edge Painting].

London: William Tegg , 1861.

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Rare 19th century example of the Plays of William Shakespeare; finely bound with a split fore-edge painting

Rare 19th century example of Shakespeare's collected plays. 12mo, bound in full crushed levant morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine, elaborate gilt central emblem of Shakespeare to the front panel, engraved title page and tissue-guarded frontispiece, all edges gilt with a split fore-edge painting depicting portraits of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. In very good condition. Ownership inscription.

The first known example of a disappearing fore-edge painting (where the painting is not visible when the book is closed) dates back to 1649. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits and religious scenes, usually painted in full color. The technique was popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley (1732-1756), publisher and bookbinder to the Prince of Wales and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The majority of extant examples of fore-edge paintings date to the late 19th and early 20th century on reproductions of books originally published in the early 19th century, including the present volume.