Harriet Bowdler, editor. Bath and London: Richard Cruttwell for J. Hatchard, 1807. 4 volumes, 12mo. First expurgated edition. 19th century polished green calf gilt, marbled edges, rebacked, preserving original spines; contemporary gift inscriptions on vol.1 front free endpaper.

Designed for 19th-century family reading, The Family Shakespeare sought to make Shakespeare’s plays “fit for the perusal of ladies and children” by omitting or altering words and passages deemed indecent or inappropriate. This act of moral censorship gave rise to the term “bowdlerize" named after the editor, Harriet Bowdler.