Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-07-04
A tW NE!a d 'lGlyrtare i Anltfifa.

| tie lard Of .9ron, ea,er published.
Edated By tie HON. GULL4.N
/ C.. VERPL.4NCK.
BOBT- W. WEIR, Esq will design Sd:
| ect, and arrange the. illustrations. Of which
there wi II be about 400. executed on wood.
IN the very best Style Of the modern school Of
that art f-' '"e
In submitting tie Prospectus of the Editor
80 the public, the Publisher has only to add
| that lie will spare neither expense nor pains
| 70 make this edition Of the Worlds Poet, sll.
peror TO any that has heretofore appeared
N illustrations, typography and paper. The
form will be ROYAL octave, and Will be issued
IN weekly parts, price l24 cents, which pla-
ces it within the means Of persons of the
most United fortunes, whilst on account of
its peculi r beauty it will gain itself adms-
son into the libraries Of the rich, and there
prove to be one of the choicest ornaments. r..
Those who wish this work in tia nf,;st per-
! fect state, will only be sure Of it by'taking
me parts as they appear, which will contain
The carly proofs OF the Engravings.t =,
The Tragedy Of Hamlet is now in press.
The first pant was issned in March
PROSPECTUS.
me PICToHIAL and ILLUSTRATOR Editions
of snAKsPEAHE, lately Published in England,
are amongst the most beautiful specimens of
the recent ard remarkable Improvement Of
he art OF Wood Engraving, which by comb.
mig great excellence Of execution with econe
omy OF prcc, has given an unprecedented
diffusion to the most useful as well as the most
exquisite productions Of the Arts of Design
The designs Of KK~NYMEADows for the.il.
| tnatraton OF Fyas edition of Shakespeare, ex
press the,cijaracter of lie several persopapes,
Al Df he
truth aud power; whilst the wood engraving,
of Knights Pictorial edition, combine with the
highest merits of art and taste, such learned
and mlnGte accuraey.as TO scenery, costume,
| architecture ana antiquity, as TO make themia
! perpetual and most instructive cammentars
upon the Poets text. it is now pioposoet:o
emb0dy III an AMERICAN EDITION, the admit
rable illustrations of both. these editions, en-,
! graved with equal excellence of mechanical
execution, to adp to these, other eIigraincs
! from eminent artists, as Rey nolGs, Fuseli, S.
( Newton, &c., and to accompany tdem with
beautifully printed and correct text T.
! 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 be.
longs not solely to England, but to al,
WHO speak the tongue
That Shakespeare spake, :,'t, 60. -.
licatitn compilation. He has therefore
prevailed upon r. w. VEIN, wliose reputa.
ton as an Artist is already identified wi,tfhis
country's history, to contribute series of ORR.
glnal Designs, together with sucl advice and
assistance in other details of art, as his taste
may, suggest, for the Illustration and embel-
llsliment of this publication. From the same
reason. the publisher, instead of reprinting
the text and comMentary,o Of any popular En-.
glish impression, was DESTROYS that his Edition,
should have the supervision of. an American
Editor This task has been undertaken By
GUIIAN c. VERPI.ANCk..
The plan proposed TO hlnself BY the Edit,
or, is to furnish the reader with a carefully.
r prepared and accurately printed text, ,uneu-,
numbered by any notes or comments upon.
the page itself as however useful thew. ma Z.
be elsewhere, they are too apt 10 divert the
mind from the power of the Poets thought,
aud to disturb the magic Of his scene. Such
notes as may be thought useful for tie expla,,
nation OF criticism of, the text will be put l.,
to an Appendix to each play. n - .. f..
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 disfgured by ma
; ny errors and absurdites. 1t passed during
the last century through asucceSsion of vary
ing editions until the revision Of Stevens and
Malone. whose text, Tor 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.
) more minute and familiar acquaintance with
old English idioHns ,hahits and modes of thO!s-
guided by an intense and constantly increat,
ing admiration for Shakspeare's genius, has
led to the strong conviction that very maRy,of
} the numerous though, slight deviatioiis from
the ancient text, appearing in modern editions,
are useless or erroneous interpretations, some.
times weakening the sense. and often substi
tuting an arbitrary monotonous, metrical reg1I-
larity, odhe Poets own native melody Ac-.
cordmgly, very many of these cancellations
I have been rejected by the last and best En-
gsh 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 nm
denably manifest. Yet there are many sach
passages confessedlv corrupt, and requiring
coniectural cancellations: there are also off,
ferences of reading betMeen the several old
impressions affording grounds for some diver
sitv of text and warm controversy, between
the more recent editors. f.~t
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 enc modern edition As the in
Ldustrv and learning of prior editors have fur
nished the collation. Of various readings, and
the authorities upon which they may be sap
ported. the task is no longer. that Of taborious
Investigations bait as il were. of Judicial de
cision, enlightened by contending argument. ,
As MANY of these variations are of nearly
| equal probability. and as some Of them are
doubtless ;he authors OWN alterations at diff.
| ferent periods, all the more important read.
ings viii he, presented to the reader in the
notes, for his selection. Those notes will al
so contain so much Of commentary as may be
useful TO explain antiquated words aud, phfa-
ses, obscurely expressed passages, saaA allu-
SONS to obsolete opinions, or the habits or his
tory ct the times; the whole in as condensed.
a form as praeticable: But any commentary,
fupon Shakespeare. however brief, would be-
imperfect if IT did not present some view Of
the higher criticism employed not on the in