This is an incredibly rare complete set of Shakespeare's works dated 1745. After Shakespeare's death in 1616, his plays were collected by his friends John Heminge and Henry Condell, leading to the formation of the First Folio in 1623. Eighty-six years later, Nicholas Rowe became the first modern editor of Shakespeare's work. He addressed various textual issues that arose from the conflicting quartos and folio editions of the plays, which had hitherto corrupted the text. Again, in 1723-1725, Alexander Pope published his edition of Shakespeare's works in six volumes. Both of these editions are highly valuable and sought after, and they paved the way for the 1745 edition published by J. and P. Knapton. The editor of this edition is not named; however, the bookseller's advertisement remarks this edition is 'exactly copied from that lately printed in quarto in Oxford', suggesting the text has been taken from Sir Thomas Hanmer's, former Speaker for The House of Commons, edition published in Oxford in 1743. the first volume includes Alexander Pope's preface, along with Nicholas Rowe's account of Shakespeare's life. It is a wonderful example of early Shakespearian publication, appearing 12 years before David Garrick's famous marble statue of the bard and before the zenith of his popularity in the late 18th and 19th centuries.