[Literature] [Shakespeare, William] The American Edition of Boydell's Illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shakspeare, By the Most Eminent Artists of Great Britain

New-York: Restored and Published with Original Descriptions of the Plates by Shearjashub Spooner, 1852. In two volumes. First American edition. Double elephant folio, 28 3/8 x 21 1/2 in. (721 x 546 mm). Illustrated with two engraved frontispieces, engraved vignette on each title-page, and 96 engraved plates (each with tissue guards), after works by Romney, Fuseli, West, Kauffman, et al. 20th-century three-quarter black morocco over blue cloth-covered boards, decorated in gilt; marbled endpapers; dampstaining and old mold residue in bottom right corner of all leaves in first volume; dampstaining in top corner of all leaves in second volume; plate 71 repaired along bottom edge verso; scattered light to moderate foxing throughout each volume; most text leaves in each volume toned.

Rare complete set of the first American edition of John Boydell's (1719-1804) monumental illustrations for the works of Shakespeare. First published in 1805, Boydell's project was nearly 20 years in the making, and utilized some the period's finest engravers to complete these fine and large plates. Spooner, an American dentist, purchased Boydell's original plates in the 1840s and restored them for the publication of this edition.

Often found incomplete, or as a single volumes, complete sets are very uncommon to auction.

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance

From the collection of Justin G. Schiller

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Darren Winston

SVP, Head of Department, Books and Manuscripts, Philadelphia

[email protected]267.414.1247

Darren Winston, Senior Vice President at Freeman’s, has served as Head of Department for Books & Manuscripts, Philadelphia, since 2018. He has been a trustee of the Rosenbach Museum and Library since 2022, is a member of The Manuscript Society, The Bibliographical Society of America, and Philadelphia’s Philobiblon Club.

Raised in northern New Jersey, Darren moved to New York City in 1988 and began his career there as a bookseller in 1995. He spent the next 18 years selling to private clients and at East Coast book fairs. In 2003 he moved with his young family to Sharon, Connecticut where, in 2009, he opened his own bookshop. Darren Winston, Bookseller offered rare and vintage books, prints, fine art, and more, and hosted over 50 book signings and art shows. He was a trustee and, later, Board President, of the Sharon Historical Society, and for six years a trustee of Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

Darren has hosted the radio program "Darren Winston's Book Report" for NPR-affiliate WHDD since 2009, appeared in the 2014 book-themed documentary The Paper Trail, and in 2024 he joined Antiques Roadshow as a books and manuscripts appraiser. From 1999 to 2005, Darren was the buyer and consultant to the Fine and Rare Books Department at Asprey, the British luxury goods company, at its New York headquarters. While there he spearheaded various in-store events including readings by Salman Rushdie and Dominick Dunne.

In 1993, Darren was hired as a Creative Consultant to Columbia Records, where he assisted in the repackaging of their 12-record Aerosmith back catalogue. He later sold his extensive collection of Aerosmith memorabilia, which he began amassing at the age of 14, directly to the band.

Darren now lives on the Main Line, outside Philadelphia, with his wife, two children, and dog. The family travels frequently to his wife's native England and Scotland. When not bookselling, he plays guitar in Pumped, an Aerosmith tribute band. Darren also appears on the top-rated PBS television program Antiques Roadshow.

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[Literature] [Shakespeare, William] The American Edition of Boydell's Illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shakspeare, By the Most Eminent Artists of Great Britain

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Provenance

From the collection of Justin G. Schiller

Books and Manuscripts

[Literature] [Shakespeare, William] The American Edition of Boydell's Illustrations of the Dramatic Works of Shakspeare, By the Most Eminent Artists of Great Britain

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