The Honey Moon: A Comedy, in Five Acts, John Tobin — Cumberland's British Theatre Ed

Publication: London, G.H. Davidson, c. 1850

Formatting: 12mo, pp. [iv], 64.

Condition Report: Very Good. This slim volume remains remarkably tight and structurally sound for a delicate mid-nineteenth-century acting edition. The publisher's red wrapper binding displays some light rubbing and mild surface wear to the extremities, though the colour remains vibrantly unfaded and the printed cover text is entirely legible. The spine is secure with no significant splitting or loss, maintaining excellent tension. Internally, the pages exhibit some expected age-related toning, primarily confined to the margins, with only a few negligible spots of foxing. The binding holds firm throughout, and the frontispiece engraving is crisp and bright. An ownership signature to the front free endpaper serves as the only notable marking, leaving the text-block otherwise clean, supple, and highly readable.

Catalogue Note: A classic example of nineteenth-century theatrical ephemera, this copy of The Honey Moon was issued as No. 89 in the renowned Cumberland's British Theatre series. While the series was initially launched by John Cumberland in 1826, the publishing rights and printing plates were subsequently acquired by G.H. Davidson, who reissued these acting editions from his Peter's Hill address in the mid-nineteenth century. This edition is complete with the critical remarks by "D.-G." (the pseudonymous theatre critic George Daniel) and is embellished with a striking wood-engraved frontispiece by G.W. Bonner, taken from a theatrical sketch by the celebrated illustrator Robert Cruikshank.

The provenance includes an early ink signature to the front free endpaper, establishing a factual record of previous ownership without detracting from the book's presentation. Though the Cumberland and Davidson acting editions were printed in large numbers for theatregoers and amateur dramatic societies, surviving copies in their original, fragile wrapper bindings—particularly those as bright and well-preserved as this—are becoming increasingly scarce on the open market. 

First performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1805, John Tobin's The Honey Moon was an immense posthumous success for the playwright, who tragically died mere months before it reached the stage. Heavily inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the play follows the tempestuous newlywed Duke Aranza and his prideful wife Juliana. Instead of bringing her to a lavish palace, Aranza takes Juliana to a humble cottage to cure her of her haughtiness. A delightful mix of mistaken identities, romantic trials, and clever wordplay, this classic comedy remained a staple of the British and American theatrical repertoire well into the late nineteenth century.