Shakespeare, William Little Shakespeare. Complete with Glossary. Bryce, David & Son. Glasgow. 1908. 1024 printed pages. Oxford India paper. Death mask, 8 portraits, 40 text Illustrations. Portrait notes by W.S.Brassington [former librarian at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and author of local subjects]. Title-page within decorative border. Printed in double columns. Decorative head- and tail-pieces. "Smallest complete Shakespeare in one volume in the world". “Dear Mr. Brassington, I have pleasure in sending you a couple of copies of ‘The Little Shakespeare, William’ it is a curiosity & will I daresay find its own clientele of purchases, it has been a most troublesome book to produce – some of the plates not coming up so clearly, as the others but on the whole it looks fairly well. " (David Bryce). Slightly age-toned margins. 70 x 92 mm. Original brown cloth with elaborate gilt blocked decoration on spine and gilt lettering within art nouveau stylised cartouche. Complete with original printed dust-jacket stating "Shakespeare's Complete Works. The Smallest Edition in the World. Formerly published by David Bryce and Son, and now procurable from any Bookseller, or from Gownas & Gray Ltd., 58 Cadogan Street, Glasgow". Dust-jacket slightly torn at head and tail of spine with slight losses, very slight browning and some minimal edge-wear. Publisher David Bryce & Son "got into financial difficulties just prior to the Great War and was eventually taken over by the firm of Gowans and Gray who had shared the same building with them since about 1911" (Garbett, 11). Mr Adam L. Gowans was one of David Bryce's "earliest correspondents in minibibliophily". This 1908 Bryce book has a Gowans dustjacket, presumably added later to unsold Bryce stock after the take-over. As such this is a rare item. Welsh, 6310. OCLC, 48273185. WorldCat locates 6 copies worldwide. 127 firsts2024