I have an antique hardbound book containing the complete works of William Shakespeare, including plays such The Tempest, Hamlet, and Macbeth, as well as poem like Venus and Adonis and The Passionate Pilgrim. The book features marbled edges, detailed engravings, and extensive annotations referencing folio and quarto editions (possibly by Edmund Malone or similar editors). Unfortunately the title page and spine are missing, but the internal pages and annotations are intact. I am seeking help identifying is edition age, and potential value. Thank you!!
I found this at an estate sale in Atlanta, GA in the basement along with a lot of other vintage mementos from the couple’s lifelong travels around the world. This page was hidden amongst a stack of vintage restaurant menus & stencil art work dated early 1920’s-1960’s. This large poem written in French stood out to me & it wasn’t until a year later going through my closet am I seeing this. Following a trip from France none-the-less. Life is funny. So any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! Even if this document holds no value, the history is interesting enough.
“The connection to Alexandre Dumas lies in the poetic text featured on the second page of your document. One of the stanzas is signed Alex. Dumas, which strongly suggests that Alexandre Dumas, the celebrated French author of works such as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, contributed the text.” - ChatGPT when asked about the contributors
