The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by Margaret Early

The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (Illustrated Shakespeare Retelling in Dust Jacket)

A Prose Retelling of Shakespeare's Tragedy, Illustrated in the Style of Early Italian Renaissance Painting

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
• Author: Margaret Early
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York
• Publication Date: 1998
• ISBN-13: 9780810937994
• ISBN-10: 0810937999
• Binding: Publisher's blue cloth-bound boards, spine lettered in white with the Abrams logo at the foot, in a printed illustrated dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Large square picture-book format with full-page colour illustrations in decorative borders.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Boards: The blue cloth boards are straight and the spine is square, with bright white lettering. The spine shows no visible fading or lean. Corners and board edges have not been closely examined.
• Interior: The pages are clean, bright and tight, and the colour plates show no visible foxing, stains or markings. No inscriptions, bookplates or stamps are present. The printed dedication, 'To my sisters, Penny and Tina', is the author's own.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The illustrated glossy jacket is clean and bright, with no visible tears, chips or fading. There is one small dark speck on the front panel near the top edge. It is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Margaret Early's The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet retells Shakespeare's play in prose, drawing on lines from the original text. It follows the feuding families of Verona and the two young lovers who try to defy their fate.

The book's chief attraction is its artwork. Early illustrates the story throughout with full-page paintings in decorative borders, modelled on the manner of early Italian Renaissance art, which suits the setting of the tale.

Published by Harry N. Abrams in New York in 1998, this is a handsome, large-format illustrated edition. It is a collectible copy for admirers of illustrated Shakespeare and fine picture books, complete with its dust jacket.

Author Profile: Margaret Early

Margaret Early (born 1951) is an Australian artist and book illustrator. She studied at Sydney University, the Shillito Design School and St Martin's School of Art in London, and has lived for many years in France. She has exhibited internationally, and her paintings are held in private collections.

Her illustrated retellings include William Tell, Robin Hood and Sleeping Beauty, and she also illustrated Walter McVitty's Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

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