For many of us, Charles Lamb facilitated our first introduction to the work of Shakespeare. The children's book Tales from Shakespeare, which Lamb wrote with his sister Mary, presents 20 of Shakespeare's most popular comedies and tragedies in more accessible prose form. The book has been in print more or less consistently since its first publication in 1807, and has remained popular throughout its long lifetime. Tales from Shakespeare is particularly remarkable as a children's book geared primarily towards girls. The Lamb siblings chose to do this in recognition of the fact that girls were generally excluded from the kind of education that introduced boys to Shakespeare. First editions of Takes from Shakespeare (Thomas Hodgkins: London, 1807) sell for around $4,000 to well over $6,000, depending on condition and the inclusion of a series of illustrations by William Mulready.
Lamb was not only notable as an anthologizer of Shakespeare. He was also recognized as a poet and essayist in his own right. His Essays of Elia, initially a series of essays published pseudonymously as Elia in The London Magazine between 1820 and 1825, was so popular that a second volume, Last Essays of Elia, was published in 1833. The first British editions of Essays of Elia (Taylor and Hessey: London, 1823) and Last Essays of Elia (Edward Moxon: London, 1833) each sell for about $2,000. The first American editions of both books, which were both published by Carey, Lea and Carey of Philadelphia in 1828, are valued at similar prices.
Coleridge, S. T. Poems. Printed by N. Biggs for J. Cottle, Bristol and Messrs. Robinsons, London (1797). Lamb, Charles and Lloyd, Charles; Second Edition, to Which are Now Added Poems By Charles Lamb and Charles Lloyd; eleven new poems by Coleridge and new poems by both other poets, includingSonnets 108,Childhood and others by Lamb, andSonnets,The Melancholy Man,Lines on the Death of an Infant and others by Lloyd.
Lamb, Charles. John Woodvil. G. and J. Robinson, London (1802). A Tragedy; To Which are Added, Fragments of Burton, the Author of The Anatomy of Melancholy.
Lamb, Charles. The book of the Ranks and Dignities of British Society. Tabart and Co, London (1805). Chiefly Intended for the Instruction of Young Persons; Twenty-four hand-colored stipple-engraved plates
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. Printed for Thomas Hodgkins, London (1807). Designed for the use of young persons. Embellished with copper-plates; In two volumes; illustrated with 20 copper plates engraved by William Blake
Lamb, Charles. The Adventures of Ulysses. Davison, London (1808). Engraved frontispiece and additional vignette engraved title-page by Charles Heath
Lamb, Charles. The Works. C. and J. Ollier, London (1818). 2 volumes.
Lamb, Charles. The Adventures of Ulysses. M. J. Godwin and Co., London (1819). with a vignette engraved by Charles Heath after Richard Corbould.
Lamb, Charles. ELIA. Taylor and Hessey, London (1823). Essays which Have Appeared Under That Signature in the London Magazine
Lamb, Charles. Elia. Carey, Lea, and Carey, Philadelphia (1828). Essays Which Have Appeared Under That Signature in the London Magazine
Lamb, Charles. ALBUM VERSES. Edward Moxon, London (1830). WITH A FEW OTHERS.
Lamb, Charles. Elia. Edward Moxon, London (1833). Essays which have appeared under that signature in the London Magazine. [with:] The Last Essays of Elia; Being a Sequel to Essays under that name
Lamb, Charles. The Letters of Charles Lamb. Edward Moxon, London (1837). with a Sketch of his Life by Thomas Noon Talfourd, one of His Executors; Edited by Thomas Noon Talfourd; 2 volumes.
Lamb, Charles. Final Memorials Of Charles Lamb. Edward Moxon, London (1848). Consisting Chiefly Of His Letters Not Before Published, With Sketches Of Some Of His Companions; In Two Volumes; Edited by Thomas Noon Talfourd.
Lamb, Charles. THE WORKS OF CHARLES LAMB. Edward Moxon, London (1850). (4 volumes), SPECIMENS OF ENGLISH DRAMATIC POETS (2 volumes) and TALES FROM SHAKESPEARE (1 volume); Edited by T.N. Talfourd
Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia. Edward Moxon, London (1853).
Talfourd, Thomas Noon. The Life and Letters of Charles Lamb. Derbyand Jackson, New York (1860). Five Volume Set; Charles Lamb
Lamb, Charles. The Works of Charles Lamb. Widdleton, New York (1866). 4 volumes.
Lamb, Charles. The Works of Charles Lamb. Bell and Daldy, London (1867).
Lamb, Charles. The Complete Correspondence and Works. E. Moxon, Son and Co, London (1870). Aided By the Recollections of the Author's Adopted Daughter - 4 Volumes; With an Essay on His Life and Genius by Thomas Purnell
Lamb, Charles. The Life, Letters and Writings. E Moxon and Co, London (1876). Edited, with notes and illustrations, by Percy FitzGerald; 6 volumes.
Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia. Edinburgh, William Paterson (1885). Extra-illustrated with over 250 illustrations including 18th and 19th century steel engarvings, stipple engravings, aquatintrs, lithographs, hand colored prints.as well as 20th century prints by C.E.Brock
Lamb, Charles. Beauty and the Beast. The Leadenhall Press, London (1887). With an Introduction by Andrew Lang; 100 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Beauty and the Beast. Scribner and Welford, New York (1887). With an Introduction by Andrew Lang; 100 copies printed.
Lamb,Charles. The Life and Works. Pafraets Book Company, Troy (1888). Edmonton Edition Hand-Made Paper; Twelve (12) Volume Set; 1000 copies printed.
Lamb,Charles and Mary. Poetry for Children. The Leadenhall Press, London (1892). Mary Charles; 2 volumes; 112 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Charles Lamb's Specimens of English Dramatic Poets. J. M. Dent, London (1893). edited anew by Israel Gollancz; Who Lived About the Time of Shakespeare: Including the Extracts from the Garrick Plays; Vols I-II; 150 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. The Life, Letters, and Writings. Gibbings / Lippincott, London (1895). Edited by Percy Fitzgerald; Six volumes.
Lamb, Charles and Mary. Tales from Shakespeare. J M Dent, London (1899). Mary Lamb; Illustrated by Rackham, 12 tissue-guarded plates, frontispiece and titlepage in colour, 11 line drawings in b/w
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. S F FREEMANTLE, LONDON (1899). Mary Lamb; INTRODUCTORY ESSAY BY ANDREW LANG; ILLUSTRATED WITH FIFTEEN FINE black and white LINE DRAWINGS BY ROBERT ANNING BELL
Lamb, Charles. The Life and Works. Macmillan, London (1899). 12 Volume Set; Introduction and Notes By Alfred AINGER; Limited to 675 copies.
Lamb, Charles. Works Of Charles Lamb. Macmillan and Company, London (1899). Twelve Volumes; 675 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. The Life and Works of Charles Lamb. Published by Macmillan, London (1900). edited by Alfred Ainger; 12 volumes; Limited to 675 copies.
Lamb, Charles. The Life and Works. Pafraets Book Company, Troy and New York (1900). 12 volumes; 1000 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. Raphael Tuck, London (1901). Mary Lamb; 250 copies printed; 2 volumes; Introductions and Additions by F. J. Furnivall; Profusely illustrated by Harold Copping, including 20 fine full-page plates
Lamb, Charles. The Essays of Elia. J. M. Dent and Co, London (1901). AND The Last Essays of Elia; 2 volumes; Introduction by Augustine Birrell; Frontispiece and b/w illustrations throughout by Charles E. Brock
Lamb, Charles. The Essays of Elia. J. M. Dent and Co, London (1902). and The Last Essays of Elia; 2 volumes; Charmingly illustrated by Charles E. Brock throughout
Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia and Last Essays of Elia. J.M.DENT andCO, LONDON (1903). 2 volumes; with over 150 full-page and in-text wood engravings after drawings by Charles E. Brock
Lamb, Charles. THE WORKS OF CHARLES. Methuen, London (1903). MARY LAMB; 7 volumes; Each volume with an engraved portrait frontis and tissue guard
Lamb, Charles. The Works. E. P. Dutton and Co, New York (1903). Edited by William MacDonald; In Twelve Volumes; 300 copies printed; Illustrated by Charles E. Brock, Winifred Green, Charles Robinson, Herbert Railton, and others.
Lamb, Charles. Works of Charles Lamb. J.M. Dent, London (1903). 12 Volumes; Edited by William MacDonald; Illustrated by Charles E. Brock, Winifred Green, Charles Robinson, Herbert Railton, and others.
Lamb, Charles. The Letters. Bibliophile Society, Boston (1905). 5 volumes; 470 copies printed; in which many mutilated words and passages have been restored to their original form; with letters never before published and facsimiles of original MS. letters and poems.
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. H. M. Caldwell Co (1907). Mary Lamb
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. Temple Press, London (1909). Mary Lamb; Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. J. M. Dent and Co (1909). Mary Lamb; With a frontispiece and 12 tipped-in color plates by Arthur Rackham, and numerous additional illustrations in black and white; 750 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. E.P. Dutton, New York (1909). Mary Lamb; Thirteen full-page color plates mounted on white paper and two full-page black and white illustrations By Authur Rackham; 750 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia. Chapman and Hall, London (1910). 24 colour plates by Sybil Tawse
Lamb, Charles. Essays of Elia. Arthur L. Humphreys, England (1911).
Lamb, Charles. Elia and the last essays of Elia. Gregynog Press (1929). Numerous wood-engravings by Horace W. Bray; 2 volumes; 285 copies printed.
Lamb, Charles. Elia and the Last Essays of Elia. Gregynog Press, Newtown (1931). In two volumes; 285 copies; Vol 1 has 16 and Vol 2 has 11 wood-engraved headpieces by HW Bray adapted from prints in the collection of Edward J Finch
Lamb, Charles. Dissertation Upon Roast Pig. Printing House of Leo Hart, Rochester, New York (1932). 950 copies printed; Illustrated by Wilfred Jones
Lamb, Charles. Tales from Shakespeare. Temple Press, London (1939). Mary Lamb; With 12 colour plates by ARTHUR RACKHAM and b/w line drawings as chapter headings and footings.