William Shakespeare's earliest published plays are referred to as folios or quartos according to the size of the book. Folios are large, tall volumes; quartos are smaller, roughly half the size [see: Bookbinding]. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Old book binding and cover Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. ...

Folios

The folio format was reserved for expensive, prestigious volumes. During Shakespeare's lifetime, stage plays were not generally taken seriously as literature and not considered worthy of being collected into folios, so the plays printed while he was alive were printed as quartos. During his lifetime, 20 of Shakespeare's 38 plays were published in quarto—for example, Hamlet appeared in 1603. Over half of these have been designated by modern scholars as "bad quartos" because their texts are significantly different and often shorter than the "good" versions. Shakespeare does not seem to have taken any interest in the publication of his plays, and it has been suggested that these "bad" quartos were pirated by unscrupulous printers, though this is difficult to prove. One theory is that their texts are extremely corrupt as a result of their reconstruction from memory by a member, or members, of their cast. However, all texts of plays at this time contain errors. Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and is one of his best-known and is the most-quoted play in the English language. ... King James I of England/VII of Scotland, the first monarch to rule the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at the same time Events March - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer, sails to Canada March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James I of... Bad quarto is a term and concept developed by twentieth-century Shakespeare scholars to explain some problems in the early transmission of the texts of Shakespearan works. ...

It was not until 1616, the year of Shakespeare's death, that Ben Jonson defied convention by issuing a folio collection of his own plays and poems. Seven years later the folio volume Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories & Tragedies appeared; this edition is now called the First Folio. It contains 36 plays, 18 of which were printed for the first time. Because Shakespeare was dead, the folio was compiled by John Heminges and Henry Condell (fellow actors in Shakespeare's company), and arranged into comedies, histories and tragedies. The Folio is no more a definitive text than the quartos; many of the plays in the folio omit lines that can be found in quarto versions, and include misprints and textual corruption. Year 1616 (MDCXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Benjamin Jonson (circa June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ... The title page of the First Folio with the famous engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout The First Folio is the name given by modern scholars to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays; its actual title is Mr. ... John Heminges was an actor in the Kings Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. ... Henry Condell was an actor in the Kings Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. ...

The First Folio was compiled by Heminges and Condell—but it was published by a trio of stationers (booksellers and publishers): William Jaggard, his son Isaac Jaggard, and Edward Blount. The Jaggards were printers as well, and did the actual printing of the book. The elder Jaggard has seemed an odd choice to many commentators, given his problematical relationship with the Shakespeare canon: Jaggard issued the suspect collection The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599 and 1612, and in 1619 printed ten pirated or spurious Shakespearean plays, some with false dates and title pages. It is thought that the printing of the First Folio was such an enormous task that the Jaggards' shop was simply needed to get the job done. (William Jaggard was old, infirm, and blind by 1623, and in fact died a month before the First Folio was complete.) The Passionate Pilgrim is a collection of poems, first published in 1599, attributed on the title-page to William Shakespeare. ...

The First Folio was reprinted three times in the 17th century: (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

The Second Folio appeared in 1632. Isaac Jaggard had died in 1627, and Edward Blount had transferred his rights to stationer Robert Allot in 1630. The Second Folio was published by Robert Allot, William Aspley, Richard Hawkins, Richard Meighen, and John Smethwick, and printed by Thomas Cotes. See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen...

The Third Folio was issued in 1663, published by Philip Chetwinde; Chetwinde had married Robert Allot's widow and so obtained the rights to the book. To the second impression of the Third Folio (1664) he added seven plays, including Pericles, Prince of Tyre and six others not now considered authentically Shakespearean: Locrine, The London Prodigal, The Puritan, Sir John Oldcastle, Thomas Lord Cromwell, and A Yorkshire Tragedy. [See: Shakespeare Apocrypha.] The Third Folio is relatively rare, compared to the Second and Fourth, probably because unsold copies were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. // Events Prix de Rome scholarship established for students of the arts. ... Events March 12 - New Jersey becomes a colony of England. ... Title page of the 1611 quarto edition of the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written (at least in part) by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays despite some questions over its authorship. ... Locrine is an Elizabethan play depicting the legendary Trojan founders of the nation of England and of Troynovant (London). ... The London Prodigal is a city comedy set in London in which a prodigal son learns the error of his ways. ... Title page of the 1607 quarto The Puritan is a Jacobean comedy, published in 1607, generally considered to be written by Thomas Middleton. ... Sir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeares contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr. ... Thomas Lord Cromwell is an Elizabethan play, published in 1602. ... A Yorkshire Tragedy was an English play printed in 1608. ... The Shakespeare Apocrypha is the name given to a group of plays that have sometimes been attributed to Shakespeare, but whose attribution is questionable for various reasons. ... Detail of painting from 1666 of the Great Fire of London by an unknown artist, depicting the fire as it would have appeared on the evening of Tuesday, 4 September from a boat in the vicinity of Tower Wharf. ...

The Fourth Folio appeared in 1685, published by R. Bentley, E. Brewster, R. Chiswell, and H. Herringman. Like the Third, it contains 43 plays. (Brewster, Chiswell, and Herringman were members of the six-man syndicate that published the third Ben Jonson folio in 1692; Herringman was one of the three who issued the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio in 1679.) Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... Henry Herringman (1628 – 1704) was a prominent London bookseller and publisher in the second half of the seventeenth century. ... The folio collections of Ben Jonsons works published in the seventeenth century were crucial developments in the publication of English literature and English Renaissance drama. ... Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... The Beaumont and Fletcher folios were two large folio collections of the stage plays of John Fletcher and his collaborators. ... Events January 24 - King Charles II of England disbands Parliament August 7 - The brigantine Le Griffon, which was commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the southern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. ...

Quartos

Eighteen of the thirty-six plays in the First Folio were printed in separate and individual editions prior to 1623. Pericles (1609) and The Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) also appeared separately before their inclusions in folio collections (the Third Folio of Shakepeare and the 1679 second folio of Beaumont and Fletcher, respectively). All of these were quarto editions, with one exception: The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York, the first edition of Henry VI, part 3, was printed in octavo form in 1594. In chronological order, these publications were— Pericles or Perikles (c. ... The Two Noble Kinsmen is a play written in 1613 by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare in collaboration. ... Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I. It is still uncertain how many plays were their joint work. ... The size of a specific book is measured from the head to tail of the spine, and from edge to edge across the covers. ... Henry VI Part III is the third of William Shakespeares plays set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England, and prepares the ground for one of his best-known and most controversial plays: the tragedy of King Richard III (Richard III of England). ... The size of a specific book is measured from the head to tail of the spine, and from edge to edge across the covers. ...

• Titus Andronicus, 1594, 1600, 1611
• Henry VI, part 2, 1594 (The First Part of the Contention Betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster), 1600, 1619
• Henry VI, part 3, 1595 (The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York), 1600, 1619
• Romeo and Juliet, 1597, 1599, 1609
• Richard II, 1597, 1598, 1608, 1615
• Richard III, 1597, 1598, 1602, 1605, 1612, 1622
• Love's Labor's Lost, 1598
• Henry IV, part 1, 1598, 1599, 1604, 1608, 1613, 1622
• Henry IV, part 2, 1600
• Henry V, 1600, 1602, 1619
• The Merchant of Venice, 1600, 1619
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1600, 1619
• Much Ado About Nothing, 1600
• The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1602, 1619
• Hamlet, 1603, 1604, 1611
• King Lear, 1608, 1619
• Troilus and Cressida, 1609
• Pericles, Prince of Tyre, 1609, 1611, 1619
• Othello, 1622
• The Two Noble Kinsmen, 1634.

Six of these were classified "bad quartos" by Alfred W. Pollard and other scholars associated with the New Bibliography. Popular plays like 1 Henry IV and Pericles were reprinted in their quarto editions even after the First Folio appeared, sometimes more than once. Title page of the first quarto edition (1594) The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeares earliest tragedy. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Henry VI Part III is the third of William Shakespeares plays set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England, and prepares the ground for one of his best-known and most controversial plays: the tragedy of King Richard III (Richard III of England). ... For other meanings see Romeo (disambiguation) and Juliet (disambiguation). ... Richard II may refer to: King Richard II of England Richard II, a play by William Shakespeare about the king Richard II of Normandy This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Richard III may refer to: King Richard III of England Richard III, a play by William Shakespeare about the king Richard III may also refer to motion pictures based on the Shakespeare play: Richard III, 1995 (UK/USA), starring Ian McKellen Richard III, 1986 (Soviet Union) Richard III, 1980 (France... Loves Labours Lost is one of William Shakespeares early comedies; it is believed to have been written around 1595-1596 and is probably contemporaneous with Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Nights Dream. ... Title page of the first quarto (1598) The History of Henrie the Fourth, Part 1 is a history play by William Shakespeare. ... Henry IV part 2 is a history play by William Shakespeare, first published as part of Shakespeares First Folio. ... Henry V may refer to: Henry V of England Henry V of France Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, one of the Shakespearean histories, based on Henry V of Englands life Henry V, a 1944 film adaptation of the play Henry V, a 1989 film adaptation of the... Title page of the first quarto (1600) The Merchant of Venice is one of William Shakespeares best-known plays, written sometime between 1596 and 1598. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare. ... Title page of the 1602 quarto The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare featuring the fat knight Sir John Falstaff. ... Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and is one of his best-known and is the most-quoted play in the English language. ... Title page of the first quarto edition, published in 1608 King Lear is generally regarded as one of William Shakespeares greatest tragedies. ... The History of Troilus and Cressida is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1602, shortly after the completion of Hamlet. ... Title page of the 1611 quarto edition of the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a play written (at least in part) by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected plays despite some questions over its authorship. ... Title page of the first quarto edition of Othello, published in 1622 The Tragedy of Othello, The Moore of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare written around 1603. ... The Two Noble Kinsmen is a play written in 1613 by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare in collaboration. ... Bad quarto is a term and concept developed by twentieth-century Shakespeare scholars to explain some problems in the early transmission of the texts of Shakespearan works. ... Alfred William Pollard (1859 – March 8, 1944) was an English bibliographer, widely credited for bringing a higher level of scholarly rigor to the study of Shakeaperean texts. ...

Shakespeare's poems were also printed in quarto or octavo form—

• Venus and Adonis, Q1—1593, Q2—1594 (with later editions in octavo);
• The Rape of Lucrece, Q—1594 (with later editions in octavo);
• The Phoenix and the Turtle, Q1—1601, Q2—1611 (in Robert Chester's Love's Martyr);
• The Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint, Q—1609.

Differing from the quartos of the plays, the first editions of Shakespeare's narrative poems are extremely well printed. "Richard Field, Shakespeare's first publisher and printer, was a Stratford man, probably a friend of Shakespeare, and the two produced an excellent text."^[1] Shakespeare may have had direct involvement in the publication of the two poems, as Ben Jonson exercised in reference to the publication of his works, but as Shakespeare clearly did not do in connection with his plays. Venus and Adonis is one of Shakespeares longer poems. ... The Earl of Southampton, painted in 1594, aged 21, the year that Shakespeare dedicated The Rape of Lucrece to him The narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece is the graver work promised by English dramatist-poet William Shakespeare in his dedication to his patron, Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton... The Phoenix and the Turtle is a poem by William Shakespeare. ... Title page from 1609 edition of Shake-Speares Sonnets Dedication page from The Sonnets SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS, or simply The Sonnets comprise a collection of 154 poems in sonnet form written by William Shakespeare that deal with such themes as love, beauty, politics, and mortality. ... A Lovers Complaint is a narrative poem usually attributed to William Shakespeare, although the poems authorship is a matter of critical debate. ... Benjamin Jonson (circa June 11, 1572 – August 6, 1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. ...

John Benson published a collected edition of Shakespeare's Poems in 1640; the poems were not added to collections of the plays until the 18th century. (The disputed miscellany The Passionate Pilgrim was only printed in octavo: twice, apparently, in 1599, with an O3 in 1612, all by William Jaggard, one of the publishers of the First Folio.) The Passionate Pilgrim is a collection of poems, first published in 1599, attributed on the title-page to William Shakespeare. ...

Notes

1. ^ Halliday, p. 513.

References

• Pollard, Alfred W. Shakespeare Folios and Quartos. 1909.
• Halliday, F. E. A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964. Baltimore, Penguin, 1964.

Alfred William Pollard (1859 – March 8, 1944) was an English bibliographer, widely credited for bringing a higher level of scholarly rigor to the study of Shakeaperean texts. ...

See also

Bad quarto is a term and concept developed by twentieth-century Shakespeare scholars to explain some problems in the early transmission of the texts of Shakespearan works. ... First quarto is a bibliographic term, usually encountered in the study of English literature in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, especially in regard to the early printings of the plays of English Renaissance theatre. ... Second quarto is a bibliographic term, most often encountered in the study of English literature in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, especially in regard to the early printings of the plays of English Renaissance theatre. ... The title page of the First Folio with the famous engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout The First Folio is the name given by modern scholars to the first published collection of William Shakespeares plays; its actual title is Mr. ... Second folio is a common reference to the 1632 edition of the works of William Shakespeare, updated after the 1623 First Folio. ... False Folio is the term that Shakespeare scholars and bibliographers have applied to the earliest attempt to create a collection of Shakepearean works in a single volume, that being William Jaggards printing of ten Shakespearean and pseudo-Shakespearean plays together in 1619. ... Shakespeares Editors were essential in the development of the modern practice of producing printed books and the evolution of textual criticism. ... The folio collections of Ben Jonsons works published in the seventeenth century were crucial developments in the publication of English literature and English Renaissance drama. ... The Beaumont and Fletcher folios were two large folio collections of the stage plays of John Fletcher and his collaborators. ...

External links

First Folio (1623): Events August 6 - Pope Urban VIII is elected to the Papacy. ...

• First Folio - HTML version of this title.
• First Folio - plain vanilla text from Project Gutenberg
• Quartos- high resolution scans of the British Library’s 93 copies of Shakespeare plays printed in quarto before 1642