Vortigern; An Historical Play; with an Original Preface
013847London: 1832: Joseph Thomas Birchin Lane Book. Fine. Hardcover. 'Represented at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Saturday April 2 1796 as a Supposed Newly-Discovered Drama of Shakespeare' -------- Rebound in modern polished leather to matching marbled boards New endpapers; 6 spine bands with black/gilt title band. 8vo; 8.5 inches tall 22 cm; xv 58 pages. Folded frontispiece of facsimile of first page of the forgery. Originally published in wraps. First Edition. No Flaws or Blemishes; Gift Quality. Expected light toning of text. ---------- Subjects Vortigern Drama; Shakespeare William; Literary forgeries and mystifications; Early works to 1800; Tragedies. ------ Brief History William Henry Ireland 1775-1835 was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet writer of gothic novels and histories. ------ His father Samuel Ireland was a successful publisher of travelogues collector of antiquities and collector of Shakespearian plays and relics. With no in the hand of Shakespeare documents. forgery would fill this void. ----- William Henry also became a collector of books. In many later recollections Ireland described his fascination with the works and the glorious death of the forger Thomas Chatterton and probably knew the Ossian poems of James Macpherson. When he was apprenticed to a mortgage lawyer Ireland began to experiment with blank genuinely old papers and forged signatures on them. Eventually he forged several documents until he was ready to present them to his father. ------- In December 1794 William told his father that he had discovered a cache of old documents belonging to an acquaintance who wanted to remain unnamed and that one of them was a deed with a signature of Shakespeare in it. He gave the document which he had of course made himself to his overjoyed father who had been looking for just that kind of signature for years. ----- Ireland first forged a letter that he claimed was written by Shakespeare expressing gratitude towards the Earl of Southampton for his patronage. ----- Ireland went on to make more findings a promissory note a written declaration of Protestant faith letters to Anne Hathaway with a lock of hair attached and to Queen Elizabeth all supposedly in Shakespeare's hand. He claimed that all came from the chest of the anonymous friend. He 'found' books with Shakespeare's notes in the margins and 'original' manuscripts for Hamlet and King Lear. The experts of the day authenticated them all. ----- On 24 December 1795 Samuel Ireland published his own book about the papers a lavishly illustrated and expensively produced set of facsimiles and transcriptions of the papers called Miscellaneous Papers and Legal Instruments under the Hand and Seal of William Shakespeare the book bears the publication date 1796. More people took interest in the matter and the plot began to unravel. ------- In 1795 Ireland became bolder and produced a whole new play Vortigern and Rowena. After extensive negotiations Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan acquired rights for the first production of the play at London's Drury Lane Theatre for £300 and a promise of half of all profits to the Irelands. ------- Sheridan and John Philip Kemble actor and manager of Drury Lane Theatre later claimed he had serious doubts about its authenticity; he also suggested that the play appear on April Fool's Day though Samuel Ireland objected and the play was moved to the next day. -------- Although the Shakespeare papers had prominent believers including James Boswell sceptics had questioned their authenticity from the beginning and as the premiere of Vortigern approached the press was filled with arguments over whether the papers were genuine or forgeries. -------- The play had only one performance and was not revived until 2008. wiki. Joseph Thomas, Birchin Lane Hardcover books
Blind Horse Books [ABAA - FABA] · États-Unis195,00 $US≈ 164,99 €
