Shakespeare’s shorter poetical works are brought together in a compact but pleasing collection.
Folio Society; 1989 (reprinted 2018 with revised bining); [224]; 8to (225x155x25mm); 0.7kg; quarter bound in blocked buckram with crushed silk sides; in plain burgundy slipcase; black and white illustrations throughout.
This volume from the Folio Society collects Shakespeare‘s 154 sonnets along with the narrative poem A Lover’s Complaint (the longer narative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are not included here). Based on the 1609 Quarto, it’s an edition dating to 1989 that was reprinted in 2018 with a revised binding. It’s this latest printing that I’ll be looking at here.
The book was designed by Anna Murray and is quarter bound in dark blue buckram with crushed silk sides. The crushed silk lends an interesting tactile quality to the book and can catch the light in some interesting ways. The spine is blocked in silver with the title, some printer’s ornaments, and the Folio Society colophon. Of course, the binding is sewn with red and white head and tail bands.
The whole thing comes in a plain burgundy slipcase with a cut-out to help you get a firm hold of the spine. This is useful because the crushed texture of the covers can create some friction when removing the book from its case. The end papers are the same burgundy colour. The book, though small, feels satisfyingly dense and solid. Overall, its a nice design whose constituent parts work well in concert.
Inside we find a heavy, off-white Abbey Pure paper. This is a matte but smooth paper that is well- suited to the sparse printing of short verse. It has good opacity. The text itself is set in Monotype Bembo, with Narrow Bembo for the poems themselves (i.e., for the majority of the text).
After an introduction by Katherine Duncan-Jones, we are treated to the sonnets in sequence, followed by A Lover’s Complaint, and finally a one-page glossary. Throughout are interspersed relief prints by seven different artists (Simon Brett, Peter Reddick, Harry Brockway, Peter Forster, Jane Lydbury, George Tute, and Michael Renton). The illustration is generous, with 38 engravings in total.
The books is illustrated by John Reynolds. Reynolds’ illustrations are simple satirical drawings of key historical figures and events. What they lack in visual impact is compensated by the liberal fashion in which they are scattered throughout the book. Besides these small illustrations there’s also a frontispiece in a similar style, which faces an elegant title page that stands in mock of all those fusty “real” history books. ■
Where to buy
- At the time of writing, this edition is still available direct from The Folio Society via their website.
- You can search eBay US* or eBay UK* for copies.
* denotes an affiliate link
Miscellaneous
Peter Forster died in January 2021 and the Folio Society posted an obituary, which can be read here.
If you have a spare moment, do have a listen to this interesting rendition of my favourite sonnet, number 40, by Rufus Wainwright:
The Ubiquitous Book blog 