Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-05-30
4 New Era Of SHAKESPEARE in America!

ne Lara % .1OOn, ecer pubHShed.
Edited By the NON. GULL4.NI
c. VERPL.ANCK.
ROBT- 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 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 nor pains
to make this edition of the Worlds Poet SUI
perior to any that has heretofore appeared
IN illustrations, Typography and paper. The
form will be royal octave, and will be issued !
| III weekly parts. price 1c1 cents, which pla-
ces It within the means Of persons of the
most limited forttnea, whilst on account of !
| its peculiar beauty it viii gain itself adms
sion into the libraries Of the itch, and there
prove to be one of the choicest Ornaments.
Those who wish this work in tina most per-
feet state, will only be sure of it 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 was issued in March.
PROSE- ECTUS.
The PICTORIAL and ILLUsTRATED Editions
| of SHAKsPEARE, lately published in England,
[ are amongst the most beautiful specimens of
! the recent and remarkable improvement of
| the art of Wood Engraving, which by comb.
ming great excellence of execution with econ>
omy of price, has given an lnorecedented
diffusion to the most useful as well as the most
exquisite productions Of the Arts of Design
The designs of KENNY MEADows for the H.
luatration O. Iyas' edition Of Shakespeare, e,
press the character of lie several personages
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 1t is now proposed to
embody in an AMERICAN ED1TIoN, the adnli-
! 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
| 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 spake,
/ Could not content himself with mere repub-
! licaticn or compilation. He has therefore
prevailed upon Il. w. WEIR, whose reputa-
ton as an Artist is already identified with his
country's history, to contribute a series of ORR
( ginal Designs, together with sucl advice and
assistance in other details of art as his taste
may suggest, for the illustration and embel-
lishment of this publication. From the same
reason, the publisher, instead of reprnting
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 By
GULIAN C. VERPLANCK.
The plan proposed to himself by the Edit
Or, is to furnish the reader with carefully
: prepared and accurately printed text, unen.
numbered by any notes comments upon
the page itself; as however useful thew may
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 disigured by ma
ny errors and absurdities. 1t passed during
the last century through succession of vary
ing editions until the revision Of Stevens and
| MaioHG, NHOSt stGAty (Of Fatilef luaI 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 years, a
more 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 devatons from
the ancient text, appearing in modern editions,
4 are useless or erroneous interpretations, some
times weakening the sense, and often substi
tutinS an arbitrary monotonous, metrcal regl-
larty, to the Poets own native melody. Ac-
cordingy, very many of these emendations
s 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 I'M
denisbly manifest. Yet there are many such
: coniectural emendations: there are also off
ferences of reading betMeen the several old
impressions affording grounds for some diver
sty Of text and warm controversy, between
/ the more recent editors.
Upon these, the American editor thinks il
r due to the character of this edition, to decide
for himself, without implicitly following the
y text of aoy one modern edition. AS the in
: dustry and learning of prior editors have fur
: nished the collation. Of various readings, and
f the authorities upon which they may be sup.
: ported, the task is no longer that OF labonous
? investigation, but, as it were. of judicial de-
cisioli, enlightened by contending argument.
AS many of these variations are OF nearly
equal probability, and as some of them are
doubtless the authors own alterations at dit,
, ferent periods, all the more important read
ings will be 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 antquated 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 form as practicable. But any commentary
upon Shakespeare, however brief, would be
imperfect if it did not present some view of
the higher criticism employed, not on the in
| taar rata IF Io,p Int IL