The British Drama; a Collection of the Most Esteemed Productions (14 Volume set)
London: C. Cooke, 1817. Item #029041
14 volumes. The writers of both comedy and tragedy now welcomed women as playwrights (including Susanna Centivre who has three plays in the collection. Each play has separate title page, engraved frontispiece and pagination. There is a biography of the authors and critique on each play by R. Cumberland. Along Bell, C. Cooke published many of the best and often only editions of the English plays, Brian Corman's article "The Canon of English Drama, 1660-1737: notes that Bell's 1791 collection had only one play from the period; Elizabeth Inchbald's influential 1808 edition of 125 plays has 32. The 1811 British drama has 61 but he notes: "Even the more traditional Richard Cumberland 1817 collection ...contained but 29 of 55 plays." All volumes bound in contemporary straight grained morocco, boards double ruled in gilt, spine gilt but rubbed, all edges marbled, a few volumes have small nicks or chips, four volumes with short splits to upper joints. From the library Joseph A. Byrnes,was a professor of English at New York University, he also held the post of assistant secretary of the university. He was also director of graduate studies in English. Over the decades at NYU he taught thousands of students at all levels, and published a variety of materials.A very good set of these popular plays.
Price: $450.00