Shakespeare Furness variorum rare, collectable antique books, near fine

  
A scarce collection of an important edition of Shakespeare with notes by eminent critics including Samuel Johnson, Coleridge, Swinburne, Hazlitt, Steevens, Clarendon, Voltaire and many others, as well as extensive appendices providing commentaries and alternative versions of parts of some plays. Far from being a resource simply for academics these editions will bring enormous pleasure and fresh insights to anyone who loves great literature.

The books are known as the "Furness Variorum", after the editor Horace Howard Furness, the foremost American Shakespearean scholar of the 19th century. Famous passages take on a new life with analysis from luminaries such as Dr Johnson, and many of the commentaries stand as great literature in their own right.

The comments are vastly entertaining and often reveal intriguing disagreements on the meaning of famous passages. The debate is presided over by Dr Furness, whose mastery reflects how well he immersed himself in this subject, to which he devoted many years of his life. The collection was assembled over the years for a man named Edward Prime as Christmas gifts from his wife Rhodie, and most volumes bear his armorial bookplate. They run from 1871 to 1913, totalling 18 volumes, as follows: Vol. Romeo and Juliet (1871); II.

Merchant of Venice (1888); VIII. As You Like It (1890); IX.

Midsummer Nights Dream (1895); XI. Winter's Tale (1898); XII.

Much Ado About Nothing (1899); XIII. Love's Labour's Lost (1904); XV. Antony and Cleopatra (1907); XVI. Richard the Third (1908); XVII. The Concordance to Shakespeare's Poems (1874, 2nd edition). 500 pages, top edge gilt, original reddish brown gilt pebbled cloth, a few inconsequential marks on spines otherwise in near fine condition. He devoted more than 40 years to the series, completing the annotation of 15 plays. With his wife, Helen Kate Furness (18371883), he authored A Concordance to Shakespeare's Poems (1874).

His son, Horace Howard Furness, Jr. (18651930), joined as co-editor of the variorum's later volumes, and continued the project after his father's death, annotating 5 additional plays.

A lovely collection of cherished books from a personal library. Sometimes their list of rates omits certain countries. The item "Shakespeare Furness variorum rare, collectable antique books, near fine" is in sale since Tuesday, September 12, 2017. This item is in the category "Books, Comics & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectable".

The seller is "michaelw7256" and is located in Harrow. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Australia, United States, Brazil, New Zealand, China, Israel, Hong Kong, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bolivia, Barbados, Brunei darussalam, Cayman islands, Ecuador, Egypt, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, French guiana, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Macao, Monaco, Maldives, Martinique, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Paraguay, Reunion, Saudi arabia, South africa, United arab emirates, Ukraine, Canada.

• Year Printed: 1871-1913
• Weight: 26.08kg net
• Language: English
• Place of Publication: United States