The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-11-08
A N EW ERA OF
SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA!
The Cheapest and most spiendidly Illuminated
and illustrated Edition offhe Bard

| " s1UoH, cOeT puOHSHeQ.
Edited blythe
HON. GULLA.N @. VERPL.a.NCK.
ROBERT w. WEIR, Esq. will design, select,
and arrange the illustrations, of there win be
about 1400, executed on wood, in the very best
style of the modern school of that art.
In submitting the Prospectus of the Editor to the
public, the Publisher has only TO add that he will
spare neither expense pains to make this edition
of the Worlds Poet, superior to any that has here
| tofore appeared-in illustrations, Typography and
paper. The form will be royal octave, and will be
issued in weekly parts, price IL and half cents,
which places 1t within the means of persons of the
most limited fortunes, whilst on account fits pecu
liar beauty it will gain itself admission into the IL
brares of the rich, and there prove to be one OF the
choicest ornaments
Those who wish this work in the most perfect
state, will only be of il by taking the parts as
they appear, which will contain the early proofs of
the Engravings.
The Tragedy of Hamlet is now in press.-The
| first part will be issued in March. -
PROSPECTUS.
The PICTORIAL and ILLUSTRATED Editions OF
SHAKESPEARE, lately published in England, are
amongst the most beautiful specimens ofthe recent
and remarkable improvement of the art of Wood
Engraving, which by combining great excellence
of execution with economy ofprice, has given an
| Unprecedented diffusion to the most useful as well
Design .n.d 11 {..,...s - .saf
The designs of KENNY MEADOWS for the illus.
trations of Tyas' edition Of Shakespeare express the
character of the several perSonages and the spirit
of the scene, with wonderful truth and power;
whilst the wood engraving of Knights Pictorial E.
dition, combine with the highest merits of art and
taste such learned and minuteaccuracy as 10 see
merry, costume, architecture and antiquity, SC as
make them perpetual and most instructive COM
anfn tnp fhp 10 nca1
to embody in an AMERICAN EDITION, the admi-
rable illustrations ofboth these editions. engraved
with equal excellence OF mechanical execution, to
add to these, other engraylngs IRON eminent artists,
as Reynolds, Fuseli S. Newton, &C., and to ac-
company them will. beautifully printed aud cor
rect text.
But the publisher anxious that his country should
pay some part OF the homage due IRON her to the
greatest OF Poets, as to one who belongs not solely
10 England, but to all
WHO speak the tongue iy
That Shakespeare spake, t,
Could not content himself with mere republican
uon or computation lie mas therefore prevailed
upon ROBERT w. WEIR, whose reputation as an
Artist Is already ldentlied with his countrys hiso-
ry, to contribute series OF Oriental Designs, to-
gether win such ADVICE ana assistance IN other de-
iaS oil ar as ms tase may suggest ior the iiiustra-
tioh ana empelliSh'heht OF this Puoiicatloh' from
the same rcasoh' lhe puoiisner instead oireprihthg
the text and commentary OF any popular english
impression, was desrous that ms Edition should
nave the supervision oi an American Editor Ihls
task has been undertaken by GULlAN u VER-
PLANCk
Inc plan proposed TO himself by the Editor IL to
furnish The reader with carefully prepared and ac-
curately printed text, zt,unencumbered by any notes or
comments upon the page itself; as however useful
they may be elsewhere, they are too apt to divert
the mind from the power oil the Poets thought, and
to disturb the magic OF his scene. Such notes as
may be thought useful for the explanation or criti-
clsm OF the text, Will be put INTO an Appendix to
each play.
The text OF Shakspeares dramatic works, drawn
from old printed copies IN his age, which hadnever
passed under the authors own eye, was conse-
quently dlshgured by many errors and absurdties.
passed during the last century through success
sion OF varying editions, until the revision OF Ste
vens and Malone. whose text, Tor rather that OF
Stevens) has become the standard from which most
OF the English and American editions have been
printed, with various degrees OF accuracy-But
within the last twenty years, more minute and ia
nlliar acquaintance with old English idioms, hab-
its and modes OF thought, guided by an intense and
constantly increasing admiration for Shakspeares
genus, has led to the strong conviction that very
many of the numerous though slight deviations
from the ancIenttex, appearing in modern editions,
are useless or erroneous interpretations, sometimes
the sense, aud often substituting an ar
btrary monotonous metrical regularity, 10 the Po-
cts own native melody. Accordingly, very many
OF these emendatons have been rejected by the last
and best English editors, especially Mr.. Knight and
Mr.. Collier, and the readings of the old folios and
quartos have been restored, unless where some er-
ror of the press or manuscript was undeniably man.
iest. Yet there are many such passages confess
sedly corrupt, requiring conjectural emendations;
there are also difference of reading between the
several old impressions aiiording grounds for some
diversity of text and warm controversy, between
'"I IrnO', ,no 49, u,o "uo. od;.o.