John Bell's Plays: Comedies in 20 Vols 1791-1794 - Dryden, Milton, Jonson, etc

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A Collection of Comedies [Plays] by Several Authors (below).

Printed by John Bell between 1791 and 1794 in 20 Volumes. Most volumes contain three plays with some having more or less.

Playwrights include:

Frances Sheridan, Colley Cibber, Charles Shadwell, Beaumont & Fletcher, Dr Hoadly, Mrs Centlivre, 'Isaac Bickerstaff', David Garrick, John Milton, William Congreve, William Whitehead, Richard Steele, Edward Moore, John Gay, Richard Cumberland, Charles Johnson, Dr Hawkesworth [from John Dryden], John Dryden, Samuel Foote, Hugh Kelly, George Colman, Joseph Addison, Ben Jonson, Henry Fielding, Oliver Goldsmith, George Farquhar, Sir John Vanbrugh, Allan Ramsay, Thomas Hull, Elizabeth Griffiths.

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Size: 10 x 14.7 x 2.5 cm (approx., each)

Condition:

Bindings are all probably original. Many joints are cracked but with a reinforced hinge and thus all boards are attached to their respective bindings. Very nice full tree calf bindings, very attractive. All tooled title labels are present with some number labels lacking or fragmented. Spines rubbed with the leather dry. Shelf wear and wear to extremities. Top page edges dulled as typical. Boards are generally very good. Two bookplates to front pastedown of each volume, one of Easton Neston Library, and the other of Sir Thomas Hesketh Bart, Rufford Hall Lancashire - an interesting house where William Shakespeare stayed in 1580. Internally very good and clean, mild toning throughout with the very occasional mark affecting only a few leaves. Uncollated but appears complete with frontispieces to each play. Final leaf of volume 20 detached in binding, still present.