THEATER/THEATRE
THEATER/THEATRE
NOT Your Best Copy — Interesting Reading, However!
(Aged Player). An apology for the conduct of Mr. Charles Macklin, comedian; which, it is hoped, will have some effect in favour of an aged player, by whom the public at large have for many years been uncommonly gratified. London: Sold by T. Axtell; J. Swan, 1773. 8vo. [4], 38 pp. (lacks frontis.). 
Click either image for an enlargement. • ESTC T22230. Rebound in quarter library cloth, front and back covers pressure-stamped by a now-defunct library, front cover with paper shelving label. Hinges (inside) starting. Title-page and p. 37 with perforation stamp, pp. 23 and 35 with rubber-stamp, title-page with paper remnants adhered at top margin, rear free endpaper with library charge pocket. Title-leaf separated and chipped, with loss of three letters from the title and several letters from the imprint. Pages 1–6 with tear in lower inner margin and slightly separating. Front free endpaper loose and chipped. Title-leaf browned, p. 1 soiled at top margin, light stain on p. 36, soiling on p. 38. Pages 29-30 soiled, missing some paper in fore-margin, and creased from folding of one corner. Final two leaves with very small dog-ears. Lacks the frontispiece. Toned. (10352)
Greek & Latin — Large Paper Copy — Handsome!Aristophanes. Aristophanis comoediae ex optimis exemplaribus emendatae studio Rich. Franc. Phil Brunck Argentoratensis. Argentorati: Joh. Georgii Treuttel, 1781–83. 4to (26.8 cm, 10.5"). 3 vols. I: Frontis., [16], 295, [1], 182, 291, [1] pp. II: [2], 310, 199, [1], 257 (i.e., 259: 63/64 repeated in pagination), [1] pp. III: [2], 291, [1], 128, 228, [160 (index)] pp.
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the interior image for an enlargement.
• Brunet, I, 453–54; Dibdin, I, 301–02; Graesse, I, 207; Schweiger, I, 46. Recent quarter calf and marbled paper–covered sides, leather edges tooled in blind, spine with gilt-dotted raised bands, gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels, and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. All edges gilt. Vol. I title-page with inked ownership inscription dated 1884 in upper outer corner; frontispiece with ink stain to outer margin not touching image (in our picture above, this misleadingly looks like it could be a wormhole). Faint spots of foxing in some sections, pages otherwise clean.
Uncommon
AMERICAN Tragedy
Bailey, John J. Waldimar. A tragedy, in five acts.
New York: [Pr. by J. Van Norden?], 1834. 8vo (24 cm, 9.4"). 124, [2], 6 pp. 
• Sabin 2736. Publisher's textured cloth, front with gilt-stamped title, greatly faded with extremities rubbed and worn, spine with paper shelving label and some loss of cloth. Title-page and some others lightly stamped by a now-defunct institution. Two short edge tears, some corners slightly crumpled.
PHOTOPLAY EDITIONBarrie, J.M. The little minister. New York & Boston: H.M. Caldwell Co., (copyright 1898). 8vo. ix, [3] 454 pp.; 16 plts. 
• Publisher's green cloth, front cover and spine stamped in black and gilt; spine with stamping a bit dimmed and extremities lightly rubbed, binding otherwise clean and handsome. Very appealing copy. (16731)
Observant & ThoughtfulBarrow, William. An essay on education; in which are particularly considered the merits and the defects of the discipline and instruction in our academies ... the second edition, corrected and enlarged. London: Pr. for F. & C. Rivington by Bye & Law, 1804. 12mo (17.2 cm, 6.75"). 2 vols. I: xxiv, 342, [2 (1 adv.)]
pp. II: iv, 412 pp.
dramatic performances in schools (ill-advised and likely to lead to undesirable results, according to the author) and the state of English universities.
Click the interior image for an enlargement. • NSTC B758. Contemporary half calf with marbled paper–covered sides, spines with later gilt-stamped leather labels; spines slightly darkened, corners and spine extremities rubbed. Pencilled bracketing and marks of emphasis; some light to moderate foxing.
Um . . . A Merrie Tale? Bickerstaff's unburied dead. A moral drama. As acted at the Theatre-Royal in Lincoln's-Inn Fields. London: Pr. for J. Watts and sold by B. Dod, 1743. 8vo. [4] ff., 32 pp. 
• Ex-defunct library with faint stamps. Sewn as issued; wrappers no longer present. A very few small chips. (1466)
Adapted
from the
French
& Printed in Dublin
Boissy, M. de [Louis]. False appearances; a comedy. Altered from the French, and performed at the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. By the Right. Hon. General Conway. Dublin: Pr. for Messrs. Chamberlaine, Gilbert, Byrne, etc., 1789. 12mo. viii pp., [2] ff., 63, [1 (blank)] pp.
• Removed from a nonce volume and now in recent marbled paper wrappers. One page very faintly stamped by now-defunct library; author’s prologue (one page) shaved at bottom, losing one line.
Mr. Brecht! Bring Down This“Fourth Wall” Brecht, Bertolt. The Threepenny opera. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1982. 4to. Frontis., [10 (5 blank)], 11–155, [5 (1 blank)] pp.; 12 plts. (incl. frontis.).
Binding: Full black linen, stamped in gold on the front cover from a design by Levine. The slipcase is covered with black paper and bears a gilt title on the spine.
The colophon is signed by both the designer and the illustrator. This offering includes the monthly newsletter.
Binding, slipcase, and illustrations all properly evoke the grittiness of the London underworld.
• Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929–1985, 529. Bound as above, in original glassine wrapper and slipcase; wrapper with tiny nicks and chips in a couple of places. A fine copy, in a fine slipcase. (22080)
Political/Jurisprudential/
Theatrical SATIRE
[Broome, Ralph]. Letters from Simpkin the second to his dear brother in Wales, containing an humble description of the trial of William Hastings, Esq. with Simon's answer. Dublin: P. Byrne & J. Moore, 1788. 8vo (18.5 cm, 7.25"). 46 pp. (lacking half-title).
• ESTC N2497. Recent marbled-paper wrappers, front wrapper with paper title label. Lacking half-title. Title-page with lower corner neatly off, otherwise in excellent, clean condition.
Why Believers Believed . . .Chalmers, George. An apology for the believers in the Shakspeare-papers, which were exhibited in Norfolk-Street. London: Thomas Egerton, 1797. 8vo (21.2 cm, 8.4"). iv, 628 pp.; 1 plt.
Single-click
the image where the hand appears on• ESTC T138271; Lowndes, II, 404; Allibone, 2036. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages slightly age-toned, one with pencilled underlining/emphasis.
Why the Believers Believed — A SupplementChalmers, George. A supplemental apology for the believers in the Shakspeare-papers: Being a reply to Mr. Malone’s answer, which was early announced, but never published. London: Thomas Egerton, 1799. 8vo (21.2 cm, 8.4"). vii, 654, [2] pp.
Single-click the image where the hand appears on• ESTCT61515; Allibone, 2036; Lowndes, II, 404. Recent quarter morocco over marbled paper–covered sides, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments. Title-page and a few others stamped by a now-defunct institution; pages age-toned.
A
CURIOUSManuscript
Playlet — The Lovers
(China, Really? Not
Hardly!). Anonymous. Manuscript, "The Lovers, A
Tragedy in Five Acts. Founded on an incident in Eastern History." On paper,
in English. [Philadelphia?, ca. 1830]. Folio (32 cm, 12.5"), 14 ff. (12.5 written
on). 
The play's length is that of a "filler" piece in a jam-packed 19th-century theatrical night of three or four plays (or parts thereof) and other "entertainments"—or, the length of a school or home production. 
The style is distinctly amateur/naive. E.g., the euphonious exotic names are far from consistently Chinese and one character is "carried [from his 'chinese cottage'] to the ganges"; the author confuses exit and exeunt ("Exeunt Priest")—we wonder if this blithe vagueness as to geography and world cultures, and the seeming lack of even basic classical education, suggest a lively-minded and enthusiastically play-going but unrigorously schooled female writer?
Provenance: Gift inscription: "Horace W. Smith, Esq. to W.W., 1863." A pencil note says "By J. Howard Payne in his handwriting, W.W."—but the handwriting does not match that of Payne's MSS. at Yale and Brown Universities.
• First leaf dust-soiled and now separated. Edges of some leaves chipped costing a few letters and, very rarely, an entire word; lost letters and words are easily supplied by context. Comfortable, for working with.
First Edition
Cibber, Colley. Perolla and Izadora. A tragedy, as it was acted at the Theatre Royal, by Her Majesty’s servants. London: Pr. for Bernard Lintott, 1706. 4to. [3] ff., 64 pp.
• Disbound and now in a Mylar folder. Lacking title-page, opening with dedication. Repairs to inner margins of several pages occasionally touching text, with small tears remaining on first and last leaves.
For more COLLEY
CIBBER, review our
OnceHUGELY Popular! Clarke, Mary Cowden. The girlhood of
Shakespeare's heroines. London: Bickers & Son, 1880. 8vo. vi, [4], 456,
16 (adv.) pp.; 9 plts. 
• Publisher's binding, spine and front cover gilt- and black-stamped; corners and edges lightly rubbed, else bright and clean. Front free endpaper with pencilled gift inscription dated 1885. Two leaves separated; first and last few leaves foxed, with a few tiny spots scattered elsewhere. (12249)
Illustrations
& Design by
T.M.
Cleland
Congreve, William. The way of the world. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1959. Small folio. [1 (blank)] p., [1 (blank)] f., [1], illus. double-spread title-page, [1], vii–xxiii, [1], 108, [2 (1 blank)] pp., [1 (blank)] f., [1 (blank)] p.; illus.
T.M. Cleland illustrated the book with 16 hand-colored drawings of actors in period costume performing scenes from the play; he also designed it, choosing a monotype Janson font and a full maroon linen binding elaborately and charmingly blind-embossed on both covers. A contrastingly simple black leather spine label is stamped in gold with author and title.
This offering includes the monthly newsletter and mailing notice. T.M. Cleland signs the colophon.
• Limited Editions Club, Bibliography of the Fine Books Published by The Limited Editions Club, 1929–1985, 301. A fine copy with the slipcase.
Bridgewater Library Set
Corneille, Pierre. Le theatre de P. Corneille. Paris: Gandouin, 1738. 8vo. 5 vols. in 6. 
• Contemporary calf. Gilt spines, rebacked and original spines reapplied. Spines very dry, chipped with some loss and lacking title labels, but with new volume labels.
“Well . . . What says my Daughter?” Cumberland, Richard. The brothers. A comedy, as it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden. London: W. Griffin, 1770. 8vo. v, [3], 72 pp.
surely-emblematic title vignette of a ship about to be wrecked on a rocky coast engraved by J. Taylor after the drawing of A. Alcock.
• Very good; disbound from a nonce volume with signatures starting to separate. One page faintly stamped by a now-defunct library. (1478)
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