Wisdom and Genius of Shakspeare Rev Thomas Price 1853 Second Edition
 
The Wisdom and Genius of Shakspeare Thomas Price 1853 Second Edition. A Victorian Shakespearean anthology in original cloth, complete and collectible.
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Full title:
The Wisdom and Genius of Shakspeare; Comprising Moral Philosophy, Delineations of Character, Paintings of Nature and the Passions, One Thousand Aphorisms, and Miscellaneous Pieces
Author: Rev. Thomas Price
Date: 1853
Edition: Second Edition, Enlarged
Publisher: Adam Scott, Charterhouse-Square, London
Printer: Woodfall & Kinder, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
 
This substantial Victorian anthology reflects the nineteenth century’s reverence for Shakespeare as not merely a dramatist, but a moral philosopher and psychological observer of humanity. Price’s work distils Shakespeare’s plays into aphorisms and thematic groupings, making the Bard accessible as a guide to ethics, politics, art, and human character.
Published in the high-Victorian period of Shakespearean scholarship and moral instruction, this enlarged second edition belongs to a tradition of educational and devotional Shakespearean literature aimed at shaping both intellect and conscience. It stands at the intersection of literature, theology, and moral philosophy.
About the Author
Rev. Thomas Price was a nineteenth-century clergyman and moral writer, formerly Chaplain at H.M. Convict Establishment, Woolwich. His writings reflect the Victorian belief in literature as a tool for ethical instruction and character formation.
He is collected today for his role in the moral and educational interpretation of Shakespeare.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
 
Bound in original green blind-stamped decorated cloth over boards and spine, with gilt lettering and a gilt illustration to the spine.
The binding is sound and well-preserved for its age, showing:
• Discolouration to the spine and board edges
• Soft bumping at corners
• Light rubbing and a few small marks
No dust jacket was issued with this book.
 
Interior Condition
 
Yellow pastedowns and endpapers. Pages are lightly tanned but notably bright for their age.
Condition details:
• Slightly rough-cut edges with very occasional tiny edge rips (not affecting text)
• Small inner-margin rips to back free endpaper and back pastedown
• Minimal edge rips to a few pages (e.g. pp. 257 and 281, not affecting text)
• Pages predominantly uncreased and clean
• Very light gutter crack at front pastedown and between pp. 112–113 only
Two pen inscriptions appear on the front free endpaper:
• “Thomas Fowler, Wigston Magna”
• A period ownership inscription beneath
There is also a small bookseller’s label on the front pastedown:
“T. Harrison, Bookseller, 55 Briggate Street, Leeds.”
All pages are secure and complete.
 
Physical Details
 
Pagination: xv + 576 pages
Dimensions: approx. 17.9 × 11.7 × 4.1 cm
Weight: approx. 506 g
 
Provenance
 
This copy bears two layers of historical interest:
• Thomas Fowler, Wigston Magna – Wigston Magna is a historic market town in Leicestershire. The name suggests a private Victorian owner, likely a literate middle-class reader in the mid-19th century, consistent with the book’s moral and educational purpose.
• T. Harrison, Bookseller, 55 Briggate Street, Leeds – Briggate was (and remains) one of Leeds’ principal commercial streets. T. Harrison was a provincial bookseller operating in a major Victorian industrial city, placing this copy firmly within the period’s active regional book trade.
Together, these features connect the book to both private Victorian readership and the professional 19th-century bookselling network.
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
 
While not a “rare” book in the strictest bibliographic sense, this is a scarce and desirable Victorian Shakespearean anthology in original cloth, especially in such complete and clean condition.
Collectors value this title for:
• Its substantial size and scholarly ambition
• Its moral and philosophical interpretation of Shakespeare
• Its strong publisher’s binding with gilt spine
• Its layered Victorian provenance
It is increasingly uncommon to find this work in sound original cloth with intact structure and legible, attractive interiors.