The Best Plays of The Old Dramatists: Otway, Middleton, Chapman
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Niagara Books is proud to offer this three-volume set of half-leather books from the Best Plays of the Dramatists, by the Thomas Middleton, Thomas Otway and George Chapman, published in 1888 and 1890 by Vizetelly & Co of London and published in 1895 by T. Fisher Unwin of London.
All three volumes were rebacked in red leather to match the red marbled boards. Two of these half-leather volumes are in G+ (Otway and Middleton) and the Chapman volume is G- condition.
Each volume has a frontpiece plate illustration of the dramatists. The Otway volume has tissue paper protecting the plate; however, the other two volumes do not. In fact in the Chapman volume you can see where the tissue paper was torn away. The front free endpaper in the Chapman volume has also separated from the binding but is included with the book in excellent condition. All bindings are tight and clean.
Each volume has five raised ribs and the title, dramatists and publication city are gilded in gold on the spine. The binding is tight and all text block and fly-leaves are all intact. With the exception of their sunned appearance all pages are generally free from writing or other markings. However, the text block of the Chapman volume is set back in its casing resulting in a smaller gutter. All three edges are marbled although the top and bottom edges have minor chipping. Each book measures 6 ¾ x 7 ¾.
These books are ex-libris, once belonging to the Rittenhouse Club of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Please note, although I cannot smell smoke or mustiness in this book, I cannot guarantee that this book came from a smoke or pet free home.
About the Volumes
Thomas Otway – This unexpurgated edition published in 1888 by Vizetelly & Co of London, England, includes an introduction and notes by the Hon. Roden Noel. Contains: Don Carlos, Prince of Spain, The Orphan, The Soldier of Fortune, and Venice Preserved and has 392 pages
Thomas Middleton – Published in 1890 by Vizetelly & Co. of London, England, Volume II only of this two volume unexpurgated edition was edited by Havelock Ellis and contains: The Roaring Girl, The Witch, A Fair Quarrel, the Mayor of Queenborough, and the Widow and has 485 pages.
George Chapman – Published in 1895 by T. Fisher Unwin, of London, England, and includes an introduction and notes by William Lyon Phelp and includes: All Fools, Bussy D’Ambois, The Revenge of Bussy D’Ambois, The Conspiracy of Charles, Duke of Byron, and The Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron and is 479 pages.
Provenance
The Rittenhouse Club was founded in 1875 by a group of distinguished Philadelphians as the “Social Art Club.” Its main co-founders, Dr. William Pepper Jr. (provost of the University of Pennsylvania) and S. Weir Mitchell (prominent physician and novelist) aimed to create a Club that allowed businessmen, intellectuals, and artists to socialize in a congenial, friendly atmosphere. Over the years, the Rittenhouse Club -- renamed after its move from Chestnut Street to the north side of Rittenhouse Square -- was a prominent fixture in the social and cultural life of the city of Philadelphia. Prominent members have included Senator George Wharton Pepper, architect Frank Furness, novelist Owen Wister, and Philadelphia Museum of Art director R. Sturgis Ingersoll.
About the Authors
According to Wikipedia:
Thomas Otway (3 March 1652 – 14 April 1685) was an English dramatist of the Restoration period. The Orphan and Venice Preserved remained stock pieces on the stage until the 19th century.
Thomas Middleton (18 April 1580 – 1627) was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in comedy and tragedy. Also a prolific writer of masques and pageants, he remains one of the most noteworthy and distinctive of Jacobean dramatists.
George Chapman (c. 1559 – 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets.
Publisher: Vizetelly & Co, London; T. Fisher Uwin, London
Date:
1888, 1890, 1895
1888, 1890, 1895Format: Half-Leather
Half-LeatherAttributes: First Edition, Frontpiece Illustrations
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