A Review of “An Inquiry into the Genuineness of the Manuscript Corrections in Mr. J. Payne Collier’s Annotated Shakspere, Folio, 1632; and Certain Shaksperian Documents likewise Published by Mr. Collier.: By N. E. S. A. Hamilton. Also, the Reply of Mr. J. Payne Collier, to the Inquiry.
New York: Printed for Private Circulation by Charles W. Frederickson, 1860.00. Item #832 8vo. 245 x 150 mm., [9 ½ x 5 ½ inches]. 32 pp. Unopened copy in original drab green paper wrappers; wrappers soiled and some chips to the edges, otherwise a very good copy. “This reprint is dedicated to the Admirers of Mr. J. Payne Collier, in the United States, by C. W. Frederickson, who appreciates his character as an Honest Man, an Accomplished Scholar, and a Worthy Elucidator of the Text of Shakespeare.” The author of “An Inquiry” was Nicholas Hamilton, member of the Manuscript Department of the British Museum working under the direction of Sir Frederic Madden, Keeper of the Collection. His analysis of the annotations and manuscript notes in the so-called Perkins Folio of Shakespeare’s Works (1632), concluded they were forgeries of a modern date. J. Payne Collier, the noted Shakespeare scholar had submitted in an essay entitled, Notes and Emendations to the Text of Shakespeare (1853), that the manuscript notes were of by a contemporary hand and based on direct knowledge of Shakespeare and his working life in the theater. Hamilton’s Inquiry also challenged the authenticity of many of the documents that Collier had ‘found’ during his nearly 20 years working as a Shakespeare Scholar. Charles W. Frederickson was noted collector of Shakespeare and Shelley, the printer of the Brooklyn Eagle during the 1850’s, and cotton merchant who made great success supplying the Union Army during the Civil War. His library was disperse over eight sales during the 1870’s and 1880’s, with his final sale taking place after his death in 1897. Carl Cannon, American Book Collectors pp. 154-55. George Mckay, American Auction Catalogues, p. 14.
Price: $300.00