Critical, Historical, and Explanatory Notes on Shakespeare. With Emendations of the Text and Metre…

London: Printed for the Author, And sold by Richard Manby…, 1754. A very good copy. Recent marbled boards with gilt burgundy morocco labels, new endpapers. Two volumes, octavo. [2], xiii, [1, errata], 400; [4, including a leaf of advertising before the title-page], pp. 1-16, 15-326, [20] pp. Variant issue with Leaf B8 uncanceled and numbered 15/16, as is C1, the text of which repeats B8 with minor variation. Item #11723

Zachary Grey (1688-1766), rector of Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, is best known for his edition of Hudibras, which appeared in 1744 with illustrations by Hogarth. Educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he was known for his wide reading, and his historical grasp of literature. Of his Hudibras, Leslie Stephen notes in the DNB: “Grey’s knowledge of puritan literature enabled him to illustrate his author by profuse quotations from contemporary authors, a method comparatively new.” The present work also reflects considerable research. In his preface Grey says: “I have with tolerable care collated the two first folio editions of 1623, and 1632/(especially the latter) with Mr. Theobald’s, Sir Thomas Hanmer’s, and Mr./Warburton’s: (whose text I have generally made use of) by which I think it will/appear, that there are many alterations for the worse, in these modern editions. I /have read over the works of Chaucer, Skelton, and Spenser, and have endeavoured /point out those passages, which Shakespeare probably borrowed from thence, and/to shew what things have been copied from him by the dramatic writers who lived in,/or near his time.”.

Jaggard 124.

Price: $750.00

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