THE SHAKSPEAREAN MISCELLANY ...
The Shakspearean miscellany: containing a collection of scarce and valuable tracts; biographical anecdotes of theatrical performers; with portraits of ancient and modern actors: (of many of whom there are no prints extant) scarce and original poetry; and curious remains of antiquity; ... A concise history of the early English stage, with anecdotes and portraits of the following authors and performers. Perkins, Bond, Cartwright, Harris, Penkethman, Farquhar, Miss Norsa, Theo. Cibber, Redman, and T. Davies. Printed chiefly from manuscripts, in the possession of, and with occasional notes by, F.G. Waldron, ...
London:, printed by Knight and Compton: and sold by Lackington, Allen and Co., Temple of the Muses,, 1802.
[4], 50, 45, [1], 3, [1], 84 p., frontis., [12] pl. (10 ports.) ; 26.5 cm (4º in 2s)

At foot of imprint: 'Price 15s in Boards.'. In four sections, with separate pagination and register as follows: 'The English Stage', sig. A-N²; 'The Life, And Surprising Adventures, Miracles, &c. Of The Prophet Abraham', sig. A-L² M¹; 'Miscellaneous Antiquities', sig. A2; 'Miscellaneous Poetry', sig. A-R². The plates are ten portraits of actors, bound randomly in the first two sections, and two plates to accompany the 'Miscellaneous Antiquities', consisting of short pieces on the monument to John of Eltham in St Edmund's Chapel, Westminster Abbey and the coffin Charles I's daughter the Princess Elizabeth, 1635--1650 discovered in Newport Church in 1793.
Waldron is described on the title-page as 'Editor of the Literary Magazine, Harding's Biographical Mirror, &c'. In the Biographical dictionary of the living authors, 1816 (q.v.), he is described as ' ... a veteran of the stage, who belonged to the Drury Lane establishment in the time of Garrick ... [He] was for some time manager of the theatres at Windsor and Richmond ... He was also a bookseller in London and for some years prompter at the little theatre in the Haymarket. He obtained the the materials which Mr Whalley had collected for an edition of Ben Jonson's works. Mr Waldron communicated an interesting memoir of Thomas Davies, the bookseller and actor, to Mr Nichols, who inserted it in his Literary Anecdotes, calling the author 'my kind and very intelligent friend'...'. Amongst his other literary works are The Sad Shepherd of Ben Jonson Completed, 1783, and The Virgin Queen, 1797, a poorly regarded and unperformed sequel to Shakespeare's 'Tempest'. Apart from the theatrical memoirs, the Shakespearean content of this collection is negligible, but following the title-page is an advertisement leaf dated April 1, 1802, announcing that 'a Supplement, or Second Part of, this Miscellany, will speedily be re-published, Lodge's celebrated Romance, on which Shakspeare founded ... As you Like It, intituled "Rosalynde. Euphue's Golden Legacy: ... By T.L. [i.e. Thomas Lodge] Gent. London, Imprinted by Thomas Orwin for T.G. and John Busbie, 1590." Collated with two other Editions, printed 1623 and 1642: with Notes by F.G. Waldron, and elegant Engravings by Sylvester Harding.'. A partial copy of this supplement is in the British Library (shelfmark 12403.b.19), but appears never to have been completed; an incomplete copy of the present work in the Bodleian Library (shelfmark Douce Add. 69) lacks the title-page and the final gatherings of 'The English Stage', 'The Life of Abraham' and the 'Miscellaneous Poetry' but includes sheets B-K of 'Euphues Golden Legacie' and six plates, suggesting that it too may have been originally issued in parts.

Copy Notes Front free-endpaper with pencil code m/c; a further [bookseller's?] annotation in pencil has been torn away.

Binding Early C19th publisher's original yellow paper boards, blue paper spine with printed blue paper spine-label reading 'Shakspearean Miscellany. 15s Bds.'.

Reference Number 1529

Additional Names Shakespeare, William (1564--1616) - Criticism and interpretation; Waldron, Francis Godolphin (1744--1818)