Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-16
A New Era Of Shakespeare in America !,

i4e CNSape@ and most sptea'dadly IL
Eliminated end Illustrated Edition of
The Bard Of .4con, ever published.
Edited By the HON. GULLAN
c. VERPL.4NCK.
RO8T w. WEIR, Esq will design. Sc.
lect, and arrange the Illustrations, of which
there Will be about 400, executed on wood,
IN the very best style Of the modern schoo! Of
that art. .e. LIZ
In submitting the Prospectus of the Editor
to the pubic, the Publisher has only to add
thathe WIZ spare neither ext eose nor pairs
, to make fhlo edition Of the Worlds Poet, su.
, penor TO any that has heretofore appeared
5 IN illustrations, typography and paper. The
form Will be royal octave, and will be issued
in weekly parts, price le5 cents, which pla-
f ces 1t within the means of persons of TIE
most limited fortunes, whilst on account of
its peculiar beauty it will gain Itself admis-
SION INTO the libraries of the rich, and there
prove to be one Of the cho st ornaments.
Those who wish this work in tina most. per.
fect state VIII only be sure Of II by taking
the parts as they appear, which will contain
the early proofs of the Engravings.
The Tragedy Of Hamlet is now impress.
The first part was issued in March
PROSPECTUS
The Pictorial and ILLUsrKATED Editions
OF SaAKsPEARE, lately published in England
are amongst the most beautiful specimens of
the recent and remarkable Improvement of
the art OF wood Engraving, which by combi.
ming great excellence of execution with econ>
omy OF price, has given an unprecedented
diffusion to the most useful as we'll as the most
exquisite productions of the Arts of esgn
! The designs OF KENNY MEADOWS. for the H.
. IUafrltiOO Of
press the character of lie several personares
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 a
perpetual and most instructive commentary
upon the Poets text 1t is now proposed to
embody IN an AMERICAN EDITION, the admi-
rable Illustrations Of both these editions, en-
graved with equal excellence of mechanical
execution, to adp to these, other engravings
from eminent artists as Reynolds, Fuseli, s.
; Newton &C., and to accompany tdem with a
= beautifully printed and correct tex.
But the publisher, anxious that his country
should pay some part of the homage due from
a her to the greatest of Poets, as to one who be-
5 longs not solely to England, but to all
o -Who speak the tongue
i That Shakespeare spake,
j Could not content himself with a mere repub-
a lication compilation. He has therefore
t prevailed upon r. w. VEIN, whose reputa-
il ton as an Artist is already identified with his
j. country's history, to contribute series of ORR
ginal Designs, together with such advice and
o assistance in other details of art, as his taste
:. may suggest for the illustration and embel.
7 lishment of this publication. From the same
reason. the publisher, instead of reprintine
the text and commentary of any popular En-
glsh impression, was DESTROYS that his Edition
: should have the supervision of an American
r Editor. This task has been undertaken BY
is GULIAN c. VERPLANCK.
e The plan proposed to himself by the Edit
:. or, is to furnish the reader with a carefully
d prepared and accurately printed text unen
i numbered by any notes or comments upor
the page itself; as however useful they may
be elsewhere, they are too apt to divert the
mind from the power of the Poets thought
aud to disturb the magic of his scene Sucl
notes as may be thought useful for the expla
nation or criticism of the text, will be put in
TO an Appendix to each play.
t, The text of Shakspeare's dramatic works
n drawn from old printed copies in his age
V which had never passed under the author.
l. own eve, was consequently disfgured by ma
If nv errors and absurdites. 1t passed during
7, the last century through succession of vary.
d inp editions until the revision of Stevens and
v Malone, whose text, Cor rather that of Ste.
# vens.) has become the standard from which
h most of the English and American editions
h have been printed, with various degrees oil
:. accuracy. But within the last twenty years, q
d .rore minute and familiar acquaintance with
e old English idioms, habits and modes of tho't
d euidel by an intense and constantly increas.
4 ing admiration for Shakspeare's genius, has
Y led to the strong conviction that very many oil
;. the numerous though slight deviations from
It the ancient text, appearing in modern editions
Y are useless or erroneous interpretations, some
o times weakening the sense, and often substi
i tuting an arbitrary monotonous, metrIcal regu-
d laritv, to the Poets own native melody ! Ac-
cordingIy. very many of these emendations
have been rejected by the last and best En-
plish editors, especially Mr.. Knight and Mr..
Collier, and the readings of the old folios and
}, ouartos have been restored, unless where
some error of the press or manuscript was I'M
: deniably manifest. Yet there are many such
passaees confessadv corrupt, and requiring
con1ectural cancellations: there are also diff
o ferences of reading betMeen the several Old
e impressions affording grounds for some diver
d sity of text and warm controversy, between
the more recent editors.
y Upon these, the American editor thinks il
e due to the character of this edition, to decide
II for himself, without implicitly following the
text of aoy one modern edition. AS the in
dustry and learning of prior editors have fur.
nished the collation. Of various readings, and
n the authorities upon which they may be sup
r ported, the task is no longer that OF laborions
investigation, but, as it we're OF Judicial de-
cision, enlightened by contendng argument :.
AS many of these variations are ct nearly
: equal probability, and as some of them are are
Is doubtless the authors own alterations at dit
) ferent periods all the more important read
: ngs will be presented to the. reader in the
l. II ties, for his selection. Those notes will al
SO contain so much of commentary as may be
useful to explain antiquated words and pnra
ses, obscurely expressed passages, and aliu
sions to obsolete opinions, Or the habits or ms
tory of the times; the whole in as condensed
a form as practicable. But any commentary
upon Shakespeare, however Sref, would BE-
} imperfect if it did not present some view o
), the higher criticism employed, not on the IN
), teapretation of his language, but upon I'M