Books

New York: Limited Editions Club, 1939-1940. Hardcover. Slight browning to the gutters of some volumes, contents bright and fresh. Spines foxed to varying degrees, some very much so. Overall an attractive set in at least Very Good condition. Arthur Rackham; Eric Gill; Robert Gibbings; Frans Masereel; Jean Charlot. Thirty-seven folio (8-3/4" x 13") volumes bound in gold-stamped half natural buckram, top edges gilt, with the paper sides, printed in four colors. Edited by Herbert Farjeon, who created the Nonesuch edition text of Shakespeare, to restore the original typographic style and spelling; typography planned and production supervised by Bruce Rogers. Each of the 37 volumes is illustrated by one of the world's leading book artists including Arthur Rackham, Eric Gill, Robert Gibbings, Jean Charlot, and Frans Masereel. Media include wood engravings and lithographs with some hand coloring. An attempt to "produce a text such as Shakespeare himself might have passed for the printer…

William Shakespeare's 'Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies' is often referred to as the 'First Folio'. It is the first collected edition of Shakespeare's works, published posthumously in 1623. The 'Second Impression', referenced in the title, suggests a reissue or reprinting of this original collection.