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STEELE, Richard : THEATRE

STEELE, Richard. THE THEATRE. To which are added, THE ANTI-THEATRE; the Character of Sir John Edgar; Steele's Case with the Lord Chamberlain; the Crisis of Property, with the sequel, Two Pasquins, &c. &c. Illustrated with literary and historical anecdotes, by John Nichols. London: Printed for the Editor, and sold by G. G. J. and J. Robinson, Pater-noster Row; J. Walter Charing-cross; C. Dilly, in the Poultry, 1791. Vignette portrait of Steele on half title page. Pp. viii, 580 pp., [2] adv. Octavo, 21.2 x 12.5 cm, full contemporary leather, marbled endpapers. Binding is worn, rubbed, and parched, with a chip at crown, and joints cracked; although boards are still attached by cords. Text is nicely printed and mostly quite clean throughout but for some scant light foxing. This one volume edition was issued the same year as a two volume edition. It has the complete text and the leaf of publisher's advertisements at the end but lacks a final leaf with printed labels for the one volume and two volume editions that is mentioned in Arnott & Robinson. This volume collects and publishes together two opposing periodicals along with other material. THE THEATRE, written by Steele under the pseudonym Sir John Edgar, first appeared as half-sheet issues twice weekly from January through the beginning of April 1720. Besides the expected discussions of theatrical affairs, it also includes a range of other subjects, such as essays on politics and economics, and on personalities, morals, and manners. THE ANTI-THEATRE, written by Sir John Falstaffe, also a pseudonym (and definitely not Steele's), was published twice weekly from mid February through the beginning of April 1720. In addition to the items mentioned on the title-page, this volume contains: "Cibber's statement of the conduct of the theatre under ... Steele"' Cibber's dedication to Ximenes, An answer to a whimsical pamphlet, "A full consideration and confutation of Sir John Edgar by Sir Andrew Artlove", The Muses Gazette, No. 8, "Three Letters" from Dennis to Steele, A Nation a Family, by Steele, and a copy of Davenant's patent. (Arnott & Robinson 4070; Loftis, Richard Steele's The Theatre).