Shirley (James) The Grateful Servant. A Comedie. As it

Shirley (James) The Grateful Servant. A Comedie. As it was lately presented with good applause at the private House in Drury Lane, by her Majesties Servants, first edition, title with woodcut decoration, woodcut initials and headpieces, title with repaired tear, occasional spotting and damp-staining, light creasing, closely shaved at head, with loss to a few printed headlines, L2 with small portion of loss to upper corner, resulting in loss to 1 or 2 words of text, book-label to pastedown, later half morocco, neatly and sympathetically rebacked, retaining original backstrip, [STC 22444], sm. 4to, B[ernard]. A[lsop]. and T[homas]. F[awcet]. for Iohn Groue, and are to be sold at his shop at Furnivals-Inne gate, 1630.

⁂ First edition of Shirley's second published play, we can trace no copy at auction in the last 50 years. The dedicatory verses are written by Philip Massinger, Thomas May and Thomas Randolph amongst others.

Provenance: Gerald Eades Bentley (book-label).