Front cover image for Bell's edition of Shakespeare's plays : as they are now performed at the Theatres Royal in London : regulated from the prompt books of each house, by permission, with notes critical and illustrative

Bell's edition of Shakespeare's plays : as they are now performed at the Theatres Royal in London : regulated from the prompt books of each house, by permission, with notes critical and illustrative

Print Book, English, MDCCLXXIIII [1774]
Printed for John Bell, near Exeter Exchange in the Strand, and C. Etherington, at York, London, MDCCLXXIIII [1774]
Acting editions England London 18th century
9 v. : ill., ports. (engravings) ; 18 cm (12mo)
38927625
v. 1. Macbeth ; As you like it ; Othello ; All's well that ends well
v. 2. King Lear ; Romeo and Juliet ; Merchant of Venice ; Cymbeline ; Much ado about nothing
v. 3. King Richard III ; Merry wives of Windsor ; Hamlet ; Tempest ; Measure for measure
v. 4. King John ; King Henry IV ; King Henry V ; King Henry VIII
v. 5. Julius Caesar ; Timon of Athens ; Winter's tale ; Coriolanus ; Twelfth-night
v. 6. Two gentlemen of Verona ; Taming of the shrew ; Troilus and Cressida ; Antony and Cleopatra
v. 7. King Richard II ; King Henry VI
v. 8. Titus Andronicus ; Comedy of errors ; Midsummer-night's dream ; Love's labour's lost
[v. 9.] Poems written by Shakespear
Edited by Francis Gentleman
Vol. 1-5 of this 9-v. set exist in three separate settings of type; v. 6-9 of all three are the same setting of type. In this edition, v. 1-5 are gathered in 6's and the individual play title pages are dated 1773. Vol. 6-8, and the unnumbered ninth volume containing the poems, are in 12's. All v. title pages (v.1-8), the individual play titles (v.6-8), and the engraved title page for v. [9] are dated 1774
Plays are paginated and signed continuously except in v. 3-4, which are signed but not paginated continuously. Plays in v.1-5 were printed in a different order than how they are listed on the volume title pages
Engraved illustrations variously lettered by engravers: J. Hall, W. Byrne, M. Liart, Isaac Taylor, P. Mazell, W. Walker, C. Grignion, Js. Basire, I.K. Sherwin, and T. Cook; and artists: N. Dance, E. Edwards, Isaac Taylor, and I.K. Sherwin. Illustrations are dated between 1773-1774
Cast lists in v.1-5; most plays (notably in v. 1-5), as well as the poems, have final leaves of bookseller's advertisements
List of subscribers and an Introduction to Shakespeare's plays, dated 1773, in v. 1. Life of Shakespeare in v. 9
"Authors of the Dramatic censor" identified as Francis Gentleman. Cf. Halkett & Laing. General t.p. of v. 1 preceded by 2 leaves of plates bearing portraits of Shakespeare and David Garrick engraved by J. Hall, the latter after a paintng by N. Dance.