The Plays of William Shakspeare in Twenty One Volumes with the Corrections and Illustrations of Various Commentators

London: J. Nichols and Sons; etc., 1813. Cloth. Good Only. 9.5" by 6". W. Holl, et al. . A scarce uniformly bound collection of the theatrical works from prolific playwright, William Shakespeare, with comments from a variety of literary figures. Referred to as the Reed Edition of 1813, also known as Johnson-Steevens-Reed 6, the "sixth edition" of Johnson-Steevens, or the "second variorum edition". With notes by Samuel Johnson and George Steevens, revised and augmented by Isaac Reed Twenty volumes of the original twenty-one. An important early Shakespeare edition, sadly missing one volume. Collection contains: Volume I - Prefatory material as with the previous editions with new material by Reed, Richardson, and Malone. Volume II - Essays by Farmer, Colman, lists of Editions, lists of Criticism, Commendatory verses, Malones "Attempt to Ascertain the Order of Shakespeare's Plays," Malone's essay on Ford's pamphlet, Steevens' remarks on the same. Volume III - Malone's Historical Account of the English Stage, and the Further Historical Account by Chalmers. Volume IV - The Tempest; Two Gentlemen of Verona; Midsummer Night's Dream. Volume V - Merry Wives of Windsor; Twelfth Night. Volume VI - Much Ado About Nothing; Measure for Measure. Volume VIII - As You Like It; All's Well That Ends Well. Volume IX - Taming of the Shrew; Winter's Tale. Volume X - Macbeth; King John. Volume XI - King Richard II; King Henry IV, Part 1. Volume XII - King Henry IV, Part 2; King Henry V. Volume XIII - King Henry VI, Part 1; King Henry IV, Part 2. Volume XIV - King Henry VI, Part 3; Dissertation, &c.; King Richard III. Volume XV - King Henry VIII; Troilus and Cressida; Volume XVI - Coriolanus; Julius Caesar. Volume XVII - Antony and Cleopatra; King Lear. Volume XVIII - Hamlet; Cymbeline. Volume XIX - Timon of Athens; Othello. Volume XX - Romeo and Juliet; Comedy of Errors. Volume XXI - Titus Andronicus; Pericles, and Dissertations; Addenda, and Glossarial Index. Unfortunately the collection is missing Volume VII - which includes Love's Labour's Lost; Merchant of Venice. Featuring a frontispiece of Shakespeare to volume one engraved by W. Holl. In publishers original bindings, in quarter cloth with paper covered boards and hand-written spine labels. Externally, all volumes have shelfwear to extremities and spines. Age-toning to spine labels, and light marks to boards. One volume has numbered label to the spine. Twelve front hinges are strained, and nine rear hinges are strained. Front hinge of volume one is tender, and is a risk of failing during delivery. Internally, most of the volumes are generally firmly bound, though with the odd leaf working loose. However two volumes have binding that is tender in places. Bright throughout, with the occasional spot, and light offsetting to first volumes title page. Ink inscriptions to the endpapers of eight volumes. Good Only