TATE, NAHUM. The History of  King  Lear. Acted at the Duke's Theatre. Reviv'd with Alterations. By N. Tate. London: Printed for E. Flesher, sold by R. Bentley and M. Magnes, 1681.
4to (202 x 152 mm). Blue morocco with gold-stamped medallion on both covers, gold-stamped title on spine, dentelles, edges gilt. Minor staining to title, occasional some spotting and minor dampstaining, a few minor repairs to blank margins, margins trimmed closely touching a few quire marks, catchwords and headlines; half morocco folding case.
Provenance: W.A. Foyle, Beeleigh Abbey (bookplate, his sale, Christie's London, 11 July 2000, lot 468); Ralph Vallone (bookplate, sold Sotheby's New York, 11 December 2009, lot 234).

FIRST EDITION of the Nahum Tate (1652-1715) adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear, which performed throughout the 18th-century and was approved by Samuel Johnson: "In the present case the public has decided. Cordelia from the time of Tate has always retired with victory and felicity" (Johnson). Shakespeare's play was first printed in 1608, but unlike Shakespeare's tragedy, Tate's play has a happy ending, with Lear recovering his throne, and Cordelia marrying Edgar. The play ends with the lines: "Thy bright Example shall convince the World / (Whatever Storms of Fortune are decreed) / That Truth and Vertue shall at last succeed." Very rare, according to American Book Prices Current; only this copy has been sold at auction in the past 45 years. Bartlett 174; Pforzheimer 918; Wing S-2918; See Bradley, Adapting King Lear for the Stage (London: 2010) p 47.

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[SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM. 1654-1616.] TATE, NAHUM. The History of King Lear. Acted at the Duke's Theatre. Reviv'd with Alterations. By N. Tate. London: Printed for E. Flesher, sold by R. Bentley and M. Magnes, 1681.

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[SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM. 1654-1616.]
TATE, NAHUM.
The History of  King  Lear. Acted at the Duke's Theatre. Reviv'd with Alterations. By N. Tate. London: Printed for E. Flesher, sold by R. Bentley and M. Magnes, 1681.