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Book Description

12mo. [1710] First Hills editions. Five works in one. pp 80; 87 (1); 94 [2] (ads); 104; 64. Contemporary full panelled calf, somewhat rubbed, gilt spine with contrasting label, edges speckled. Text clean, all pages intact. Early signatures to front paste-down: James Rogers his book 1735; Elzbth Rogers her book. October ye 26th 1738. Hill appears to have issued these five plays separately, as well as together with or without a collective title page. In this example, the five separately issued plays are bound up together and there is no collective title page, rather each play has its own title page and register. The ESTC reference for the collected version is T26061; for the individual plays respectively: Old Batchelor: T26076; Double Dealer T26073; Way of the World T26072; Love for Love T26074. Henry Hills jnr, son of the printer of the same name, had a chequered life in London, made the more complicated by their family converting to Catholicism. Reading between the lines, it presumably is likely that Hills hearing that Tonson was publishing his works of Congreve (which also appeared in 1710), produced these as a spoiler or perhaps to display his rivalry. Altogether a very rare early series issued during Congreve s lifetime, complete with all five plays, the production of which would be interesting to investigate further from the bibliographic point of view.
AuthorCONGREVE, William (1670-1729).
Date245
BindingHardcover
PublisherLondon: printed and sold by H. Hills, in Black-Fryars, near the Water-Side.
ConditionGood

Price: £245.00

Offered by Celsus Books

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