first edition
1616 · London
by Jonson, Ben
London: William Stansby, 1616. 1st. Compiled and edited by Johnson, published in two sizes. This is the small-paper edition, originally 7 x 11 1/4 inches, trimmed here to 6 1/2 x 9 7/8 inches with no loss of text. Rebound in dark green morocco with five raised bands on spine; spine and covers stamped in gilt. Contains 842 of roughly 1025 original pages, including all plays: Every Man in his Humour, Every Man out of his Humour, Cynthias Revels, Poetaster, Seianus, Volpone or The Fox, Epicne or The Silent Woman, The Alchemist, and Catiline, as well as epigrams and Jonson's poetry collection, "The Forrest." Missing engraved portrait, title, and contents page, along with five of seven introductory dedication pages. Missing engraved title pages to all plays but "Poetaster," along with the Entertainments, Panegyre, Masques, and Barriers which comprised the last 173 pages of the book. Two pages of introductory dedication have been rebound as final leaf. (Inventory #: 9030692)