Marlowe and the Early Shakespeare (1954) F. P. Wilson Oxford Hardback
 
The Clark Lectures, Trinity College, Cambridge, 1951
By F. P. Wilson
 
Features
 
Original 1954 Oxford University Press hardback
Original dust jacket, clipped but price-present
The Clark Lectures delivered at Trinity College, Cambridge
Early reprint from corrected sheets of the 1953 first edition
Scholarly study of Christopher Marlowe and early Shakespeare
Provenance copy with ownership inscription of Patrick T. Cormack (1961)
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Author: F. P. Wilson
Title: Marlowe and the Early Shakespeare
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press
Place: Oxford
Year: 1954
Edition: Early reprint (from corrected sheets of the 1953 first edition)
Format: Hardback with original dust jacket
Pagination: 144 pages
Printing: University Press, Oxford (Charles Batey)
Size: approx. 19.3 × 12.7 × 1.4 cm
Weight: approx. 220 g
 
Exterior Condition
 
Original dark blue cloth binding with gilt lettering and emblem to spine
Boards and spine intact, firm, and square
Very light handling wear only
Dust jacket intact, clipped but price still visible
Minor fading and a few light surface marks to jacket
Overall, very good condition for over 70 years old
 
Interior Condition
 
Pages bright and clean for age
Light tanning confined mainly to endpapers
Bottom page edge slightly rough-cut (printer’s method)
No rips, tears, or losses
One neat pen inscription to front free endpaper:
Patrick T. Cormack, January 1961
No further writing, highlighting, or annotations
Text block tight, secure, and unstrained
All pages present and firmly bound
 
About the Book
 
This volume presents the Clark Lectures of 1951, delivered at Trinity College, Cambridge, by the distinguished literary scholar F. P. Wilson.
The lectures explore the dramatic development of Christopher Marlowe and his influence on the early plays of William Shakespeare, addressing issues of authorship, chronology, text, and poetic method.
Expanded beyond the spoken lectures, this edition includes additional passages and references, making it a valuable and enduring work of mid-20th-century Shakespearean scholarship.
 
About the Author
 
F. P. Wilson (1895–1968) was a leading Shakespearean scholar and bibliographer, best known for his contributions to early modern drama studies.
Provenance Note
This copy bears the ownership inscription of Patrick Thomas Cormack (1939–2024), a British historian, author, long-serving MP, later Baron Cormack, and a noted advocate for heritage and the arts.
Such provenance adds quiet historical interest without intruding on the text.
 
Rarity and Market Context
 
Original Oxford hardbacks with surviving dust jackets are increasingly scarce
Most copies offered today are ex-library or jacketless
Provenance association enhances collectability
This early corrected reprint remains desirable for collectors and scholars alike