THE WORKS OF SHAKESPEAR IN SIX VOLUMES. EDITED AND CORRECTED BY THE FORMER EDITIONS BY MR. POPE

London: Printed for Jacob Tonson .., 1725 - "1723"[sic].. Six volumes. xli,[13],[4],563, plus portrait and plate; 656; 499; 547,[1]; 599; 591,[1],36pp. Thick quarto. Contemporary calf, spines gilt extra. Rebacked at a relatively early date, with the original backstrips laid down, new labels. Most joints cracking (but cords sound), chipping to joints and spine extremities (costing part of the top section of the spine of Vol. I), corner of one blank rear free endsheet torn away, fore-corners bumped and scraped, some occasional dusting, finger-smudges or minor foxing, otherwise internally very good or somewhat better, externally moderately sound. The first edition of Pope's edited texts of Shakespeare's plays, printed by subscription in an edition of 750 sets (of which 140 sets remained unsold), and the first collected edition in quarto. The first volume includes a list of Subscribers. While the general title in the first volume is appropriately dated 1725, the titlepages of the separate volumes are dated 1723, reflecting the early and wide promotion of the forthcoming edition. Actual publication appears to have taken place in March of 1725. The text is arranged thus: vols. 1-2 Comedies; vols. 3-4 Historical Plays; vol. 5 Tragedies from History; and vol. 6 Tragedies from Fable. The sixth volume concludes with a list of the editions Pope consulted to arrive at his texts. With the engraved bookplate of Thomas Weld, of Britwell, Oxford, on the front pastedown of each volume, and the later bookplate of Francis Reynolds Yonge Radcliffe KC (1851-1924) on the front free endsheet of the first volume. A supplement including the Poems edited by George Sewell and printed by Darby appeared later in 1725, and was informally denoted the 7th volume. Substantial shipping costs. GRIFFITH 149. ESTC N269060. JAGGARD, p.498.