One of the reasons the First Folio is so recognisable is because of the iconic engraving of Shakespeare on the title page. This was done by Martin Droeshout (1601-c.1650), an engraver who didn't know the Bard personally and who was only 15 years old when WS died. He must have copied it from an existing portrait but it must have been a fairly accurate representation as WS's friends and fellow-actors and compilers of the First Foio, Condell and Hemminges, approved of it.
This book is called a folio (Latin for 'leaf') because its leaves or sheets of paper were folded only once as opposed to twice as in a 'quarto. This meant that the original First Folio was a larger book than the normal size one of the time.
Copy of the First Folio in the Bodlean Library, Oxford
Many of the plays that first appeared here were probably based on WS's manuscripts or prompt-books owned by his acting company, as well as from faulty quarto copies of the original plays. It is also likely that a paid scribe copied them for the printer (William & Isaac Jaggard {son})before they were finally produced. All of this meant that several mistakes crept in which were eventually removed in later folio copies of WS's plays.
THE SECOND FOLIO was printed nine years after the first in 1632. and was printed by Thomas Cotes for Robert Allot, Smethwick, Apsley, Richard Hawkins and Richard Meighen. It is a faithful copy of F1 but some of the original mistakes and proper-names and stage directions have been corrected.
THE THIRD FOLIO was printed in 1663 and contained further corrections as well as the text of Pericles which was missing in F1 and F2. This third Foli is fairly scarce today because a number of unsold copies were burned in the Great Fire of London in 1666. This folio also contained seven other plays including The London Prodigal, The Puritan Widow and A Yorkshire Tragedy.
THE FOURTH FOLIO, printed in 1685 is a reprint of F3 and contains more corrections as well as adding its own new mistakes. It also contains Pericles and the extra plays which appeared in F3.
Note: The second, third and fourth folios are not always considered by literary critics etc as they were printed without any reference to the early quartos or manuscripts.
Next time: Ghosts in WS plays.
For comments: Facebook or: wsdavidyoung@gmail.com
This book is called a folio (Latin for 'leaf') because its leaves or sheets of paper were folded only once as opposed to twice as in a 'quarto. This meant that the original First Folio was a larger book than the normal size one of the time.
Many of the plays that first appeared here were probably based on WS's manuscripts or prompt-books owned by his acting company, as well as from faulty quarto copies of the original plays. It is also likely that a paid scribe copied them for the printer (William & Isaac Jaggard {son})before they were finally produced. All of this meant that several mistakes crept in which were eventually removed in later folio copies of WS's plays.
THE SECOND FOLIO was printed nine years after the first in 1632. and was printed by Thomas Cotes for Robert Allot, Smethwick, Apsley, Richard Hawkins and Richard Meighen. It is a faithful copy of F1 but some of the original mistakes and proper-names and stage directions have been corrected.
THE THIRD FOLIO was printed in 1663 and contained further corrections as well as the text of Pericles which was missing in F1 and F2. This third Foli is fairly scarce today because a number of unsold copies were burned in the Great Fire of London in 1666. This folio also contained seven other plays including The London Prodigal, The Puritan Widow and A Yorkshire Tragedy.
THE FOURTH FOLIO, printed in 1685 is a reprint of F3 and contains more corrections as well as adding its own new mistakes. It also contains Pericles and the extra plays which appeared in F3.
Note: The second, third and fourth folios are not always considered by literary critics etc as they were printed without any reference to the early quartos or manuscripts.
Next time: Ghosts in WS plays.
For comments: Facebook or: wsdavidyoung@gmail.com
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