Edited With A Glossary by W.J. Craig
"Published by Henry Frowde for the Oxford University Press in 1903, this attractive Oxford Miniature Edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare presents Shakespeare's dramatic and poetic works across six compact volumes. Edited by noted Shakespearean scholar W. J. Craig, M.A., the edition incorporates a glossary and was designed to place the complete Shakespeare canon into an unusually portable yet comprehensive format. Craig's editorial work drew upon the established texts of the plays while providing a practical scholarly apparatus for the contemporary reader.
The six volumes contain Shakespeare's comedies, histories and tragedies together with his poetry, presenting the complete works in finely printed miniature format. Craig's introductory material discusses the early printing and transmission of Shakespeare's plays, including the quartos and the landmark First Folio of 1623, while the accompanying glossary assists with archaic language and expressions. Produced by Oxford University Press during the celebrated period of Horace Hart as Printer to the University, the set is an appealing example of early twentieth-century Oxford book production.
Particularly desirable is the survival of the complete six-volume set together with its original fitted slipcase, an increasingly uncommon feature for miniature editions of this age. Each volume remains in its original dark green cloth binding with gilt lettering and decoration to the spine, the six matching volumes forming a particularly handsome little library when housed together in their purpose-made case. Published more than 120 years ago, this charming and highly collectable Oxford Shakespeare combines literary importance, attractive period presentation and the considerable appeal of a complete miniature set retaining its original slipcase."
