New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-08
NOTES ON BOOKS.
THE NEW CAMBRIDGE SHAKESPEARE INA
MURRAY'S DICTIONARY-M. lola Am
HIS GENEROUS PUBLISHER

The ninth and last volume Of the sccona :.
ton of The Cambridge Shakespeare edtad -
Mr.. William Adds Wright and published =
Messrs. Macmillan, made its appearance this we.s
1t has been two years in progress. The ori,in.,
edition was completed in 1866. Mr. Wright wiz,
justfable pride in his own work. thinks Il NJ.
essary for him TO say that the present il rail-
new edition. and not. has been erroneou,I.
stated by some high authorities, q mere rer.,,.
of the first He adds: THE pages Of couv ..v
to the printers wouM show that the additions a,s
corrections amount to many thousands. and thaa
scarcely page is free from them" lie says fu,.
Their: My endeavOr has been to include ali
that was overlooked in our former work, to CO...
rect what erroneous. and to add to IL wb,.
has appeared since" That is modest and anna.
Gent account of an editorial task which has bes,
performed with care and zeal. and also with sua
cess.
The plan Of the edition never seemed to n.
faultess. / explained why in notice of tn
earlier volumes, year ago more. But, give.
the plan, Mr.. Wright has worked it out thorough,
~ and it has. at any rate. the merit OF being
unique The student of Shakespeare, whateye,
other editions he has, will want this, for this u
the only edition which contains, in the true sense
Of the words, history Of the text and record
of tho changes emendations, cOrruptons, and con.
lectures il has undergone. Mr. Wright takes nains
10 say that he has not recorded all the varous
readings which are due TO printers errors, nor all
the changes Of versiication which have been sug.
gested. We may be THANKFUL to him that he has
not Printers errors in the QuartOs and the
First Folio are an essential part of the history Of
the text Later, they cease to be essential. or Of
any consequence whatever, except in the cases
where a printers error has been the occasion Of
happy conjectural emendation. The present vol.
umc supplies an apt example Of the need Of a re-
edited reissue of this book. Since the pubica.
ton of the last volume Of the first Cambridge
Shakespeare, in 1865, two editions OF the Venus
and Adonis and one Of the Lucrece then unknown,
have been discovered. They contribute variety
of readings which have been incorporated in the
present edition
Mr. Wright has word TO say the so-called
fac-smiles of the Quartos which have appeared
in recent years. He admits that his reprints Ia
this volume will be found to differ from the fac
Smiles and may, therefore. be disrusted by those
who have been accustomed 10 rely on the fac
SMILES But wherever there is such difference
the reprint, and not the photo-lithograph, will he
found correct The original has always been re-
ferred TO. Says Mr.. Wright: In minute par
ticulars the fac-similes are by no means
certain guide, for they turn commas into full
stops notes of interrogation into cOlons, semi.
colons into commas. and render il impossible
10 distinguish between &C. and e.. r and t. n
and u m and in and the like" They do
much than that. They sometimes give
readings to a first quarto which have been bor-
rowcd out of a third. They print "enter att
for "entreat." they alter course 10 coarse
they change the names Of the speakers, ana
perform other fantastic tricks. 80 perhaps Mr.
Wright is not far wrong when he declares thas
all confidence in the fac-simies as trustworthy
authorities dsappnars' But he allows the earlier
eulogy upon Stauntons photo-zncographir repro
duction of the First Folio TO stand. He muss
know that neither can the accuracy of that be
always depended
Among the many friends whose assistance Me.
Wright acknowledges, are two Americans. Or.
Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard College,
and above all my constant friend DR.. Horace
Howard Furness Of Philadelphia. whose monu-
mental volumes are the admiration Of every true
student OF Shakespeare That does no moro
than express the general opinion Of English Sndke-
speareans: I should say the universal opinion IL
il were possible for any opinion about SHAKE
spearean criticism 10 he universal. However.
never knew the value Of Mr.. Furnes-s editorial
work 10 BE- questioned by any competent scholar.
lie has taken his place in the somewhat troubled
and contentious Shakcspearean world. lis nam"
ranks with the best English editors. and he Is
perhaps the first Shalie,pearcan Scholar in America
whose work is "a great honor TO his own coun-
fry and OF great service TO his author ! do
rot forget Hudson or Grant White But Hudson
was a better commentator than editor. and Grant
White had n fatal prediction for inaccuracy. lie
was often ingenious and more often un>ound, Ca
PRECIOUS unclitical and not always either we'll ln'
formed or catholic in spirit II is probable that the
highest type of intellect does not often concern
itself with the ncetics of editorial work on
Pope did and johnson did, an"
there are other MINES which, if not so great as
theirs. are respectable. But they are the ex'
ceptions.
/, really begins to look as if men now living
might se,, the conclusion of DR.. Murray's New
Enrlsh Dictionary on Historical Principles mo
first volume. including and b. as students
know. has been published for some time. Inc
second volume is 70 comprise & and ID. mas
been published in parts as far as Crouchlng anu
rho next part, Crouchmas-Dc. is in the press.
Volume third, l., and G, has Mr.. Henry Brad
ley for editor with the cooperation OF Dr. NUT
ray One part, E-Every. is published. ana
second Everybody-Fc. is in the press. iho
system of publishing in parts is not one WHICH
encourages the wary public 10 buy. Yet TWO VI
three classes Of people do buy There are SUI
dents who must have the latest word OH "o''S'
There are those who like 10 buy an eNpehSNo
book in parts because il seems to come che"rh
or because payment il easier. lhcr are hoD''
minded men who feel il duty 10 encourage III
Murray and his coadiutors in their gigah'e tas".
rhc,, are Libraries and other institutions re"
uubshcrs would care to have entered upon 'he
,ssuc Of a dictionary OF this magnitude as mere
,..a;ross snoculation This however. is The
r, ,ord English Dictionary. and the publisher OF
:, !. ,he Clarendon Press; which il nearly fhe
.ame thing as saying that the publisher IS 'ne
,ni,or.itv Of oxford Yet l seem 10 have heard
IN ,i r past that the Clarendon Press was NOV
III '''"' business on business principles AZ
understood by the mere human publisher