The School of Scandal by R.B. Sheridan / Rossi illustrated edition c1891

SHERIDAN, R.B. – The School for Scandal
 
London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co Limited [1891]
 
Folio size; original brown publisher’s cloth, with an elaborate gilt design on the upper board, with an arrangement of inlaid pictorial portraits; pp. [vi], 35; with superb chromolithographs by Lucius Rossi throughout; with the scarce original dust wrapper, a remarkable survivor, with thin paper, sporting an illustration, repeated from one of the illustrations in the book, with lettering in black, and the publisher’s details at the bottom of the panel; the wrapper has small chips to the top of the spine and corners but is largely complete and also without marks; the book is almost fine, save for a contemporary gift inscription on the front free end paper, dated 1891, more likely the year of publication, making this book a tad earlier than was considered the case up to now; Overall near fine.
 
The first and only edition of the Rossi Illustrations, the School for Scandal was originally composed by Richard Sheridan and then performed at Drury Lane Theatre in 1777.
 
The comedy play has been adapted many times and there have been a literation of various illustrative editions including notably by Hugh Thomson and Edmund Sullivan. The play wasn’t published in book form in Sheridan’s lifetime, and so editions have varied considerably over the years, owing to this.
 
This copy is exceptional due to it retaining its 19th century dust wrapper, its condition and impressive chromolithographs.