CIBBER, Colley (1671-1757)

[Sammelband of five plays, comprising] Xerxes. A tragedy. As it is acted at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields; The tragical history of King Richard III. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane. Alter’d from Shakespear by C. Cibber; Perolla and Izadora. A tragedy. Acted at the Theatre Royal, by Her Majesty’s servants; Ximena: Or, The heroick daughter. A tragedy. As it is acted at the Theatre-Royal by His Majesty’s servants; [and] Cæsar in Ægypt. A tragedy. At [sic] it is acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, by His Majesty’s servants

London. Early Reprints. Paper-Covered Boards. Collection of five plays by Cibber, of various editions, dates, and imprints, each with copper-engraved frontispiece and title page printed in red and black (except Perolla and Izadora). 12mo: 72; 71[1]; 70,[2]; xxxvi,[2],58; 83,[1]pp. Xerxes: printed for W. Feales, at Rowe’s-Head, over-against St. Clement’s Church in the Strand, M.DCC.XXXVI [1736]. ESTC Citation No. T26029. Nicoll I, p. 397. Richard III: Printed for J. and R. Tonson, and J. Watts, M.DCC.LIII [1753]. ESTC Citation No. T143656. Nicoll II, p. 307. Perolla and Izadora: printed for Henry Lintot; and sold by W. Feales, at Rowe’s Head, the Corner of Essex-Street in the Strand, M.DCC.XXXVI [1736]. ESTC Citation No. T26030. Nicoll II, p. 310. Ximena (an adaptation of Corneille’s "Le Cid"): printed for J. Tonson, A. Bettesworth, B. Lintot, and J. Watts; and sold by W. Feales, MDCCXXXV [1735]. ESTC Citation No.T52848. Rothschild 631. Nicoll II, p. 311. Cæsar in Ægypt (an adaptation of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra that also owes something to Pierre Corneille's "Pompee"): Printed for J. Watts, and sold by W. Feales, at Rowe’s Head, the Corner of Essex-Street in the Strand, M.DCC.XXXVI [1736]. ESTC Citation No. T19819. Nicoll II, p. 312. Rothschild 632. Recently bound by Fitterer in marbled paper-covered boards, printed paper label on upper cover. Heraldic copper-engraved book plate on front paste-down (transferred from original) of James Heywood Markland (1788–1864), antiquary, literary historian, staunch churchman, and collector of fine books, who "[c]ontemporaries regarded as a man of high literary taste . . ." (ODNB). Signature and ownership stamp on title page of Xerxes of Ignatius F. Horstmann, American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as bishop of Cleveland from 1892 until his death in 1908. A tidy, tight copy in an excellent binding, occasionally toned and spotted but overall bright and unmarked. Near Fine+. Item #BB0905

Cibber's importance in British theater history rests on his being one of the first in a long line of actor-managers (he regarded himself as first and foremost an actor and had great popular success in comical fop parts). His reputation as a dramatist "has fluctuated curiously from one extreme to the other and from one era to the next; one or two of his plays are now accepted as having some merit and some significance. Originally written and played between 1696 and 1745, several remained in the standard repertory of the London theatres until almost the end of the nineteenth century, and one, Richard III, actively survived well into the twentieth. Although technically an adaptation, it [Richard III] is so radically different from the Shakespeare play that it must surely be reckoned as an original play by Cibber. The text is a curious farrago: out of a total of 2053 lines, Cibber composed 1069, and the rest were borrowed from various Shakespeare plays, not only 795 from Richard III (out of the 3600 or so that Shakespeare wrote) but 103 from 3 Henry VI, 24 from Henry V, 20 from 2 Henry IV, 17 from 2 Henry VI, 14 from Richard II, 6 from 1 Henry IV, and 5 from 1 Henry VI. Actors often claim that the result is a piece that is theatrically more playable than Shakespeare's original text and one which an audience would find easier to follow." (ODNB) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $274.00