Antique Miniature Shakespeare Birthday Book Ca 1890s

Antique miniature book to record your loved ones’ birthdays.  A handwritten inscription with dedication dates the book to ca. 1890s (1893??), when it was gifted.  Each day of the year is highlighted with one or two quotes from Shakespeare’s works and includes the source reference.  For example, for January 14th, the quotes read: “The air bites shrewdly, it is very cold, It is a nipping and eager air.” –Hamlet, Act i. Sc. 4.  And “The very substance of ambition Is merely the shadow of a dream.” –Hamlet, Act ii, Sc. 2.  The book, referred to as “The Stratford Edition,” was published by Frederick Warne and Co., London and New York, and printed by Billing and Sons.  It includes “a diary for memoranda” and is “full of wise saws and modern instances” (Shakespeare).  The soft cover is bound in pebbled black  leather with gold lettering; the interior cover edges have a delicate gilded design, and the page edges are gilded on all three sides.  It measures 4.25″ x 3″ x .75″.  There’s some wear consistent with age and prior use: the binding is partially split at the title page, but the stitching is tight; the front cover is creased from thumbing; and the spine has a 1″ split at the bottom–see photos.  There are handwritten names corresponding to various dates, as well as names with addresses located in England (Gloucester, Birmingham and Evesham).  Fantastic addition to a collection of Shakespeare’s works, gift for “The Bard” enthusiast, or decorative piece for the writing table.