SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616). The Works, London, Allied Newspapers Ltd., [c.1930], 39 volumes only (of 40), miniature 16mo, original leatherette, in 3-tier wooden bookcase. (39)

SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616). The Works, London, Allied Newspapers Ltd., [c.1930], 39 volumes only (of 40), miniature 16mo, original leatherette, in 3-tier wooden bookcase. (39)

Starting bid£20
Estimate £50 - £80
Absentee deadlineDec 3, 2025, 5:00:00 PM

SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616).  The Works ... Carefully Edited and Compared with the Best Texts. Complete with Glossary and Short Biography. In 40 Volumes. London: Allied Newspaper Ltd., [c.1930]. 39 volumes only (of 40), miniature 16mo (50 x 35mm). Frontispieces. Original black leatherette with the spines lettered and decorated in gilt (faded and lightly rubbed, a few joints split), contained in a 3-tier custom-made wooden bookshelf. A confusing set. Two plays are missing, namely "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Troilus and Cressida". However, there are two copies of "Romeo and Juliet", although one of these mistakenly has "The Taming of the Shrew" stamped in gilt on the spine. Therefore, from this set, only the texts of "Troilus and Cressida" and "The Taming of the Shrew" are absent, which - with the duplicate copy of "Romeo and Juliet" - accounts for the presence of 39 volumes rather than the more usual 40, as called for. Bondy Miniature Books (1981) p.123; Neelands & Joffe Miniature Books. The Stephen and Sandra Joffe Collection (2022) 203; Welsh A Bibliography of Miniature Books (1989) 6344. (39)