Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-06-06

Few Pa q Shassgeare ia America,
We eAeapest e5,d most splepdidly u
! lsaliaated cad Illustrated Edition Of
| the Bard Of from, eaeg publis6ed
Edited By tie HOAc. GULL8N
/ O. IyERPL.4.NcCK.
R0BT. w. WEIR, Esq , will design, Sc.
/ lect, and arrange the Illustrations. of which
! there viii be about 400, executed on. wood
in the yer" best style of the modern school Of
| that art
In submitting The Prospectus of tie Editor
20 the public, the Publisher. las only to add
that he. will spare neither expense nor pains
to make this edition of the Worlds poet. SUI
peror TO any that has heretofore appeared
administrations. typography and paper The
form wilt be roya! octave, and viii be issued
II weekly parts, price led cents, which pla-
ces It within the means Of persons of the
| most i'm ed fortunes, whilst on account Of
lis peculiar beauty il Will gain itself adnis-
| sion into the libraries Of the rich, and there
prove TO be one Of the choicest ornaments
Those who wish this work in tina most per.
fect state, viii only be sure of It ly taking
the parts as they appear, which will contain
( the early proofs OF the Engravings.s
The Tragedy of Hamlet is now in press
| The first part.was Issued in March.
PROSPECTUS
The PICTORIAL and ILLUSTRATOR Editions
of.SHAKspEARE, lately published in England,
are amongst the most beautiful specimens Of
the recent ard remarkable improvement of
, the art of Wood Engraving, which BY comb.
n;ng great excellence Of execution with econ>
nnay of price, has given an unprecedented
diffusion 10 the most useful as well as the most
I exquisite productions Of the Arts of Design
The designs of KENNY MEADOWS for the H.
llatration of Tyas' edition of Shakespeare, G :
press the character Of lie several pe!sonapes
and the spirit of the scene, with wonderful
truth aud power whilst the wood engraving
of Knights Pictorial edition, combine with the
highest merits Of art and taste, such learned
and minute accuracy as to scenery, costume,
architecture and antiquity, as to make Them .
perpetual and most instructive commentary
upon the Poets text. it is now proposed 20
embOdy IN an AMERIcAN EDITION, the admit
rable Illustrations OF both these editions. en-.
graVed with equal excellence of mechanical
execution, to adp to these, other engravincs
from eminent artists, as REYNOLDS, FuseH. S.
Newton, &C., and to accompany tdem with
beautifully printed and correct text
( But the publisher. anxious that his country
should pay some part Of the homage due from
her to the greatest of Poets, as to one who be-
:
| WHO speak the tongue
That Shakespeare .spake, J. ~ g.
Could not content himsel: with a mere fepub-
HcatiCn or compilation. lie has therefore
prevailed upon r. w. WE1R, whose reputa
ton as an Artist is ALREADY identified with his
country'S history, to contribute series of ORR
ginal Designs, together with sucI advice and
assistance in other details Of art, as his taste
may suggest, for the illustration and embeI-
lshment of this publication. From the same
reason. the publisher, instead of reprintinr
the text and commentary of any popular En-,
glish impression, was DESTROYS that his Edition
should have the supervision of an American
Editor. This task has been undertaken b.
GULIAN C. VERPLANCk.. 49,.
The plan proposed to i!mself bY the Edit
or, is to furnish the reader with carefully
prepared and accurately printed text, unen,
numbered by any notes or comments upon
the page itself; as however useful thew MAJ
be elsewhere, they are too apt to divert the
mind from the power of the Poets Thought
! and to disturb the magic of his scene. Such
notes may be thought useful for the exnla-
nation or criticism Of the text, will be put in
to an Appendix to each play
The text OF Sbakspeare's drama tic works,
drawn from old printed copies in his age.
: which had never passed under the authors
own eye, was consequently dsfigured BY ma
ny errors and. absurd;ties. - 1t passed during.
the last century through succession of vary.
ing editions until the revision of Stevens and
Malone, whose text, Cor rather that of Ste
4 vens,) has BECAME the standard from which
most Of the English and American editions
have been printed Eith various degrees Of
accuracy. !. But withia the last twenty years, a
more minute and familiar acquaintance with
old English idiou2s, lialits and modes of tho's-
guided b.. &n Intense and constantly increat,
ing admiration for Shakspeare's genius, has
led to the strong conviction that very many Of
. the numerous though Sight deviations from
the ancient text, appearing in modern editions,
are useless or erroneous interpretations, some
t times weakening the sense, and often substi
+ tuting an arbitrary monotonous, metrical regtl-
e larity, to the Poets own native melody ,Ac-
: corfingly, very many of these emendations
have been rejected by the last and best En-.
4 glish editors, especially Mr.. Knight and Mr..
If Collier, and the readings of the old foos and
quartos have been restored, unless where
V some error Of the press or manuscript was. IN
d deniably manifest Yet there are many such
passages contessedly corrupt, and requiring
coniectural cancellations: there are also DIFF
fersnces Of reading betMeen the several cid
: impressions aifording grounds for some diver
sty of text and warm controversy, between
the more recent editors.
Upon these, the american editor thinks il
due to the character of this edition, to decide
for himself. without implicitly following the
text Of aov cne modern edition. As the in.
dustry and learning Of pyicr editors have fur
nished the collation. Of various readings, and
the authorities upon which they may be sup
ported, the task is 10 longer that of Iaboriou.
investigation, but, as il were. of judicial de
p cision, enlightened by contending argument
As Inany Of these variations are OF nearIy
equal probability, and as some of them are
t;6uhtless the authors own alterations at diff
ferent periods, All the more important read
ings viii be presented to the reader in the
notes, for his selection. Those notes will al
: SO contain SO much Of commentary as may be
K useful TO explain antiqusted words and phra-
e ses, obscurely expressed passages, and allu,
If sions to obsolete opinions, or the habits or his
2 tory of the times; the whole in as condensed