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Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1910. Item #06562
A Striking Arts and Crafts Interpretation of Hamlet
One of 250 Signed Copies with Thirty Mounted Color Plates
[SIMMONDS, W[illiam] G[eorge], illustrator]. SHAKESPEARE, [William]. Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Hamlet. Illustrated by W. G. Simmonds. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1910].
Limited to 250 numbered copies signed by the artist (this copy No. 5).
Large quarto (11 x 8 3/4 inches; 280 x 222 mm.). xxvii, [1, blank], 164, [1, imprint], [1, blank] pp. Thirty mounted color plates, each with descriptive tissue guards. Title printed in red and black.
Original vellum over boards, pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt on front cover and spine, top edge gilt, others uncut. Silk ties renewed, boards slightly bowed, as often with vellum - but overall a fine, bright copy.
With an introduction, “The Story of Hamlet,” by Arthur Quiller-Couch (pp. ix–xxvii).
A particularly attractive example of this uncommon illustrated Hamlet, issued in a small signed limitation and distinguished by the highly individual work of William George Simmonds. Unlike the more familiar illustrated Shakespeare traditions of Rackham or Dulac, Simmonds brings a distinctly Arts and Crafts sensibility to the tragedy - his figures elongated and decorative, his palette rich yet restrained, and his compositions imbued with a quiet, almost medievalizing intensity.
William George Simmonds (1876–1968), a versatile artist and craftsman, was closely associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. Working across media - including carving, metalwork, and puppetry - he developed a visual language that favors handcrafted detail and expressive line over theatrical spectacle, lending these illustrations a unique intimacy well suited to the psychological depth of Hamlet.
The mounted plates, finely printed and carefully integrated with the text, elevate the volume beyond a conventional illustrated edition, while the vellum binding reinforces its position as a deluxe production of the Edwardian gift-book tradition.
A scarce signed limitation, especially so in this condition - and a compelling alternative to the better-known illustrated Shakespeare canon.
Price: $1,250.00