Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-23
A New Era of Shakespeare in America !!

~
tn =, and Illustrated Edition of
the Bard Of .Avoa, euey published
.Edated by the HON. GULLAN'
&C. VERPL.A.NCK,
KoBI' w. WEIR, Esq will design. Sc.
lect' and arrange the illustrate, n of which
there VIII be about 1400, executed on wood
IN the yer" best style of the modern school Of
that art ,z...g. 81, 'N"oo' VI
An submitting the,Proepectus of. the Editor
to the public, the Publisher has only to add
hat ne WIN spare neither expense nor mains
10 make tins edition of the Worlds Poet su.
Peiiof 70. any that has heretofore appeared
! IN Illustrations typography and paper. The
.orui %iii De royal octave, and will be issued
( III "eeNiy paris. price 1ea cents, which pla
ces Wi.hih the means of persons of the
most limited fortunes, whilst on account of
rs Pecul'a u, hfeauty it will gain itself admis-
SION INTO the libraries of the rich and tbera
prove to be one of the choces+ ornan,,ta
Those who wish this WORK in tha r,ost nav
tect state. will only be sure of i bv tafinr
the the parts as they appear, which will contain
'ne -, early proofs of the Engravings.
-, me tragedy of Hamlet is now IMPRESS
nc i'se part was issued in March
PROSPECTUS,
Inc PICTORIAL and ILLUsTRarEp Fditione
OF SHAKESPEARE, lately published in England
are amongst the most beautiful specimens Of
J the recent ard remarkable improvement of
the art of Wood Engraving, which by comb.
| ming great excellence of execution with tc,n>
omy of price. has given an Unprecedented
diffusion to the most use u as well as tbe -,oet
exquisite productions of the Arts of DESIGN.
Inc designs OF KENNY MEADOWS for the il.
lua'ratioh o lyas' edition of Shakespeare, !,
press the character of he several Dersonaues
and the spirit of the scene, with wonderful
run aua power whilst, the, wood engraving
OF hn'ghts PICTORIAL edition, combine with the
highest merits OF art and taste, such a learned
and minute accuracy as to scenery. costume
architecture and antiquity, as to make them
perpetual and most instructive smmentarv4
upon the Poets text. 1t is now pronosed -
embody in an AMERICAN EDTrIoN the adm.
rable illustrations of both these editions. en-.
graved with equal excellence of mechanical
execution, to adp to these, other engraypgs
from eminent artists, as Reynolds, Fuseh. s.
Newton, &C.. and to accompany tdem with a
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. (
longs not solely to England. but to all
WHO speak the tongue
That Shakespeare spak,
Could not content himself with mere repub |
hcatcn or compilation. He has therefore
prevailed upon r. w. WEIR, whose reputa.
ton as an Artist is already identified with his
country's history, to contribute a series of ORR.
glnal 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
IN blicha OF
the text and commentary of any popular En-
glsh impression, was DESTROYS that his Edition
should have the supervision of an American
Editor. This task has been undertaken by
GULLAN c. VERPLANCK.
The plan proposed to himself by the Edit
or, is to furnish. the reader with a carefully
prepared and accurately printed text, unen.
numbered by any notes or comments upon
the page itself; as however useful they NAV
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 as may be thought useful for the expla-
nation or criticism of the text, will be put in
to an Appendix to each play.
The text of Shakspeare's dramatic works. /
drawn from old printed copies in his age,
which had never passed under the authors
own eye, was consequently dsfgrred by ma
ny errors and absurdities. 1t passed during
the last century through succession of varv
ing editions until the revision of Stevens and !
Malone. whose text, Cor rather that of Ste
vens,) 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 wears. a
Tore minute and familiar acquaintance with
old English idioms, habits and modes of tho't,
guided by an intense and constantly increas-
ing admiration for Shakspeare's genius, has
led to the strong conviction that very many of
the numerous though slight deviations from
the ancient text, appearing in modern editor
are useless or erroneous interpretations, some
times weakening the sense. and often substi
tutng an arbitrary monOtonous, metrical regu-
larity, to the Poets own native melody. Ac-
cordingly, very many of these cancellations
have been rejected by the last and best En-
glish editors, especially Mr. Knight and Mr..
Collier, and the readings of the old folios and
quartos have been restored, unless where
some error of the press or manuscript was an
deniably manifest. Yet there are many such
passages confessedlv corrupt, and recurring
coniectural cancellations: there are also off
ferences of reading betAeen the several old
impressions affording grounds for some aiyer-
sity Of text and warm controversy, between I
the more recent editors. Ill: 80, -,
Upon these, the American editor thinks it /
due to the character of this edition, to decide !
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
the authorities upon which they may be sup
ported, the task is no longer that of laborious
investigation, but as it were of judicial de- !
cision, enlightened by contending argument. J
AS many of these variations are of nearly !
equal probability. and as some of them are /
doubtless the authors own alterations at diff i
ferent periods, all the more important read.
ings will be presented to the reader in the
n ties, for his selection. Those notes will al
so contain so much Of commentary as may be
usefuto explain antiquated words and Phra-
ses obscurely expressed passages. and allu-
sions TO obsolete opinions, or the habits or his.
tory of the times; the whole in as condensed
a.. |. NJ Nfa1V