St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-01

|
II mo-, PIP. 495, soy. New York, John d. Al.
den; I5c.
THE BOOK LOVERS RoSARI-Cloth. 16
mo-, PIP. 81. New York. John B.. Alden; csc.
EeIr Publications Rerirtred.
THE FRIENDLY EDITION OF SHAKESPEARE.
First Notice.
As nearly everyone of our leading pub
fishing houses is now equipped with its own
edition of the Shakespeareau plays
and posms, in more or less costly and com
petent, as well as inexpensive and "handy
volume'' form, it ought to be question of
considerable moment which-if we chose but
one for our library use-that one ought to be-
Tue professional Shakespearean will, of
| course, load his shelves with editions, of
whatever convenience, and by whomsoeVer
prepared. The specialist will seek only those
going all fours with his own tastes, methods
and theories, be they textual, historical, Cum
paratiye or esthetic. Tne virtuoso and dillet-
tant will contrive to collect only the unique,
costly and rare. But there is always an on
coming generation who are to begin reading
| Shakespeare for himse and for themselves,
and the mass of US are neither professional,
| specialist or tiillettante. 1t is therefore mat
| ter OF considerable IN IN mt to those oncom-
| Ing as well as to US who can buy but one
| edition, to do the most practicable with ones
| money. William Shakespeare himself, could
he revisit like II imlet's honest ghost-the
| slim2sts Of tiis mo1n, wOIIi be puzzled to
! decide between the folio, quarto, octave and
L., y - I =.
self served up, and, if dragooned
to choice, happy wish him
| self back among the surreptitious
! qu4rtos at which he rallied and waxed pro-
! fame when alive on the BInkside in pre-
copyright ana stationers' company and star
chambe days.
We confess, however, to sharing the gen
| eral weakness for nineteenth century ameni-
| ties, and would rather read this Saturn of all
| time-this father of all the gods at once-in
creamy paper off the white, in gilt topped
books, whose dressed leaves rustic like celery
rs we cut them, with the types we know best
and bindings that weigh nothing in our
hands, than in the costiest of time with
cred and clumsy qulrtOs, or even in the
/ great back letter folio itself, priceless and
perishless as it is! And so reading, with
sense of appetite, this Friendly Edition, it
seems only friendly task to tell ones
neighbors why it seems to US the best so far
Of the forms in which William Shakespeare,
in America or England, is now purchas-
able
In the first place, the publishers have sup
piled it with plge-a square sixteen mo-
which is as pleasant to the muscular as is the
| tinted paper to the visular eye. 1t is per-
haps the only HANDY volume" size which
prevents eramping and tapping of the
printed lines, and will probably
replace that so-named style al
once in public favor. But, large
as are considerations of com Portable position,
in perusal they ought to yield always to proof
Of that competent editorial patience aud
acumen which alone can make any one edi-
lion Of Shakespeare comprehensive and salts
flying enough TO be recommended dis
pensing with the use of every other. 1t is just
this latter desiderltum which Mr.. Rolfe has
aimed to supply. He has aimed to supply
every want and facilitating every use of the
library and drawing room no less than of the
school aud class room, and it nss puzzled US
10 find out wherein, if anywhere, be has not
amply and perfectly succeeded. His friendly
edition Is in effect, variorum-by which
technical term we understand a Catholic
thoroughuess of electcism in perfect pur
view of all that prior Shakespearean com
mentary has accom- plished. Other editors
have done this before perhaps, but we admit
we don't know where, except in formidable
tones too bulky n be lifted from desk, but
the best OF Mr.. R1lfes variorum notes is that
they are indexed, with table Of words cx-
panedn (appended-nOt the edition, but TO
each separate playa feature which Mr..
Rolfe has been first to invent-though after
its convenience is appreciated, he will no
doubt be unable TO retain the monopoly.
Besides these notes are few pages OF well
selected criticism PREDATORY OF each play or
poem. And SO the reader who
desires his Shakespeare without note
or comment" can practically so
read this one without his eve being inter
ruptcd at every other word by 4 superimposed
uumeral, or asterisk, or other zOdiacal sign,
to ask him II he Is quite sure he understands
what he is reading, aud wouldn't rather
please stop and see what nice little wheel
barrow load If archaic and dusty debris he,
the particular editor, has just trundled up and
emptied at this, that aud the other point
The best OF Mr.. Rolfe as an editor is his
genuine honesty in selection, and scholar as
be Is, and ,om pctent as he is-in his rare
moderation and self denial before the temp
tation OF most Shakcspareans, to re-write
what everybody else has said over ones own
name. Since nobody except professional
Shakespcarean ever thinks Of reading the
solid libraries OF minion text chafr called by
courtesy notes" on Shakespeare. nothing Is
easier than 90 wlnuow it all, and appropriate
the few grains of common sense or happy
thought. But Mr. Rnlfe has done his prrde-
cessors most ample justice, given them full
credit for their lucid intervals and managed
10 present clear introspectiou Of about all
that has been done in Snakrspeareau aunotA-
ton. These are stout claims for the FrienGiy
Edition., we know. But We sincerely beliey c
taem warranted Nor can We refrain in this
place from marvelling at Mr.. Roles per-
feet Catholicity. Most S1akespeareaus get to
believe the divine William their own plrticu-
Jar mutton, " and to show all their mollrs
and iucisors at once whenever another Of the
trlde-or especially a neutrality-suspicious. or
BlcUu'au h3rri5lP die's) intrides. But Mr.
r lie welcomes everybody. TReY may be-
lieve what they like OF Shakespeare the msn
50 only ,hev reverse the great Book and
iarow some light on iis history. sources or
81 ua s~us hnr 30,