Selling Shakespeare in 1864: Cassell’s tercentenary monument

Although Shakespeare played little role in early nineteenth-century advertising, he was increasingly appropriated in advertising culture during the latter half of the century and gave marketed commodities cultural status. In this chapter I propose to look at the way Shakespeare’s works were sold and advertised during the nineteenth century, considering the marketing strategies used by publishing houses. How did publishers phrase their ads? What public did they target? What typographical strategies did they use? The chapter will also look at how the iconic stature of Shakespeare is used and/or re-tailored in such advertising.