Date taken from McLean, Ruari. Victorian book design and colour printing, 1972.

Chromolithographed decorative t.p.

Black lithographed text with chromolithographed red rules and wide decorative borders.

Preliminary plate with full-page chromolithographed border around central mounted oval collotype showing a bust of Shakespeare. Plate is unsigned and without imprint.

Interleaved.

McLean, Ruari. Victorian book design and colour printing, p. 134.

MASS copy 1: Bound in light red-brown pebble-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind with white and blue paper onlays blocked in gold. Covers with signature: "JL" [i.e. John Leighton]. Spine with imprint: "Griffith and Farran". Boards with bevelled edges; a.e.g. With teal green glazed endpapers.

MASS copy 2: Bound in red pebble-grain cloth blocked in gold and blind in the same design as copy 1. Covers with white, green and black paper onlays blocked in gold. Covers with signature: "JL" [i.e. John Leighton]. Spine with imprint: "Griffith and Farran". Boards with bevelled edges; a.e.g. With teal green glazed endpapers. With binder's ticket: "Bound by Bone & Son, 76, Fleet Street, London.".

MASS copy 3: Bound in brown morocco blocked in gold, black and blind. Boards with bevelled edges; a.e.g. Board turn-ins blocked in blind. With marbled endpapers. With presentation inscription dated Dec. 1859.