The Vampire; or, The Bride of The Isles: A Romantic Melo-Drama, In Two Acts, Printed from the Acting Copy, with Remarks, Biographical and Critical, by D-G. To which are added, a Description of the Costume, -Cast of the Characters, Entrances and Exits, -Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage-And the Whole of the Stage-Business. As Performed at the Theatres Royal, London.

London: John Cumberland, 1829. 12mo, pp. 42. Frontispiece included within pagination. [Bound after:] Knowles, James Sheridan. Caius Gracchus: A Tragedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 79, [1]. Frontispiece included within pagination. [And:] Shakespeare, William. Othello: A Tragedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 72 + frontispiece and 1 plate. [And:] Rowe, Nicholas. Jane Shore: A Tragedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 49, [1]. Frontispiece included in pagination. [And:] Knowles, James Sheridan. Virginius: A Tragedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 70, [2]. Frontispiece included in pagination. [And:] Rowe, Nicholas. The Fair Penitent; A Tragedy in Five Acts. London: Printed and Published by T. Dolby, [c.1827]. pp. 45, [1] + frontispiece. [And before:] Shakespeare, William. Hamlet: A Tragedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 78. Frontispiece included in pagination. [And:] The Comedy of Errors: A Comedy, In Five Acts. London: John Cumberland, [1829]. 12mo, pp. 52. Frontispiece included within pagination. 8 plays bound together in contemporary half black calf, marbled boards, spine divided by raised bands, 4th compartment lettered direct in gilt. Binding somewhat rubbed, some wear to extremities, label lost. Cancelled stamp of Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to verso of first title-page, remains of small blue label to pastedown. A scarce early printing of Planché’s vampire play, first performed in 1820 and freely adapted from a French drama of the same year, Charles Nodier’s ‘Le Vampire’. Both of these stage productions are ultimately based on John William Polidori’s short story ‘The Vampire’, which first saw print in 1819, attributed to Lord Byron. Planché’s tale retains the Scottish setting of Nodier’s play, despite Planché’s firm belief that the setting was wrong, at the insistence of theatre manager Samuel Arnold, who had Scottish costumes in stock at the Lyceum. Planché’s own preference was to set it in Hungary. Following its 1820 run the play was revived in 1829, possibly occasioning this reprint; the cast lists of both productions are printed here. Library Hub records 3 holdings, BL, Cambridge and NLS. It is bound with a further 7 plays, all save one from publisher John Cumberland’s series ‘Cumberland’s British Theatre’ with prefaces by George Daniel. The interloper is from a very similar series produced by Thomas Dolby. Of particular note among these others are three Shakespeare plays: Othello, Hamlet and The Comedy of Errors, each of them (as with The Vampire) having an attractive frontispiece by Robert Cruikshank.