The FOur FO IIO S of Shakespeare 8 Plays ACCOUNT OF THE FOUR COLLECTED EDIT IO NS TOGETHER WITH A CENSUS QF’ THE KNO WN PERFECT CO PI ES OF THE MET FOLI O A DE$€fRI PTI GN O F AN EXCEPTI ONALLY D ESI RABLE SE T NO W O FFER ED FO R SALE B¥ New Yor k ’ !Shakesp ear e s F our F olios E take pr ide in Offe ring for sal e an excepti onally fine set O f the F our ’ F olio E ditio ns of S akes a e s Pla s h pe r y . The First F olio (the most valuable of all printe d books) is one of the finest kn own copies ! the Se cond F olio has the very rare Aspl ey impr int ! and the T hird F olio is a fine co i h e a i rm e- a a py w th t e rl est fo of titl p ge d ted 1 66 3 . The F irst F o lio Mr am S ak s ear s C ome es . Willi h e p e di , H s or es Sc ra e es. Pu s i t i , T g di bli h ed a ! C es according to the Tr ue O r igin l opi . n P b I saac a ard L o o . r nd inted y J gg , B o 1 6 2 and d t. E . l un 3 ’ N X I I I ' Lord Dormer s superb copy ( O . of Sidney Lee s ’ s c s Cen us) , the copy whi h brought at Sotheby in 1 0 1 o f 9 , then the record price, and one the finest copies - U 1 9. 1 6 x 8 extant. nusually large, measuring 9 % inches, it is of Per ect , first all f , every leaf is genuine and not a word - or letter is in facsimile . The title page, especially, is in s s m of mo t unusual condition , with a uperb i pression the two w s portrait . The lo er corner of the leaf of Verses have ’ l s Séa éespea r e r F ou r Fo io bee n restored and a corresponding piece has been supplied f f for the outer lower corner o the last lea , but these are the only imperfections worthy of mention . The slight mend f ing of the lower corner of the our or five leaves at end, f . preceding the last lea , is scarcely noticeable The volume - f is bound in red morocco super extra by Bed ord, rough . gilt edges , and is enclosed in a morocco case The Seco n d F o li o r am S ak es eares C om e es M . Willi h p di , e e P u b s e accor H s or es and ra s . i t i , T g di li h d ding seco to the true O riginall C o pi es . T h e nd L o o P e d b Tho . C o es I m r ss o . p e i n nd n , rint y t , for l am As 1 6 2 . Wi li pley , 3 A With the very rare Aspley imprint . good, sound and f per ect copy , in yellow morocco , gilt edges , in morocco case . Some blank margins have been mended . The Third F o lio am S ak s eares C o m e es H stor es Mr . Willi h e p di , i i , ra e d es P b she accord n to the and T g i . u li d i g a C h r I m r ss o r O r o s T e . t ue igin l pie . T hi d p e i n P f r P he t ind e 1 66 Lo o e o C w . nd n , rint d hilip , 3 A f ’ very fine copy , ormerly Gregory Lewis Way s with the of - t 1 66 earliest issue the title page, da ed 3 (with blank space f for v le t the portrait) , and also ha ing the second title with for . imprint London , Printed P . C with portrait f and verses on separate lea , and containing the seven added . f plays at end Per ect , sound, and genuine throughout, f and bound in cal enclosed in a red morocco case . 4 ’ S/za éespea r e s Four Folios The F o u r th F o lio ’ Mr am a e a . Sh kes r s C ome s H s or es Willi p die , i t i , a ra u b c nd T ge di es. P lish ed ac o rding to the e O r a C o es The F o r E o tru igin l pi u th diti n . Lo o P e for H H errin m an nd n , rint d . g , E Brew ster and R Be e 1 6 8 . , . ntl y , 5 . A c calf oints re good and generally sound opy in old , j f f paired . The lower inside corners o a number o leaves have been discoloured by oil . Price of the four volumes as described T hirty -tw o th o usand dollars D O D D ME AD 8c , CO MPANY 1 0 . November, 9 7 — NO TE I t 18 a remarkable fact and worthy of mention here that of the fifteen perfect copies of the First Folio now belonging to private owners in America, no less than six (including the present copy) have been sold (or ff b 8: . o ered for sale) y Dodd, Mead Co 5 The First F o lio I ts H isto ry and Bibiography T is probable that to William J aggard is primarily due f s the credit o gathering together and printing, even I ’ of years after Shakespeare s death , this collection his R oberts in 1 6 1 a ard Plays . From James 3 , J gg had acquired O f by purchase the right to print several the quartos, as well as the perhaps more valuable sole right of printing the ’ ’ a ard s players bills or programmes . Even though J gg establishment was an important one, he seems to have pre ferred to have the risk o f the publication shared by others “ and the colophon of the volume reads Printed at the mith eeke a ard . S w Charges of W . J gg , Ed Blount, I , and s W . Aspley, Probably with the a sistance of the s H emin e l Manager , John g and Henry Conde l, they pro f s — s c cured rom variou sources printed quarto , prompt opies made for the actors and surreptitious or private manuscript — ’ copies the text of all o f Shakespeare s Plays (save only m Pericles) . The type used was probably of Dutch anu facture and the larger part o f the printing was probably ’ ’ a ar s ffi D u ns an C done at J gg d printing o ce near St . t s hurch though it is almost certain that other printers were called evid upon to do portions of the work . There is positive f- in ence , in the careless proo reading and curious errors the ' -u reat haste make p, that g was used in its production . Even after printing was under way new portions of manuscript c s of were pro ured, necessitating the printing and in ertion “ extra leaves . This is the case particularly with Troilus and Cressida which seems to have been inserted bodily 6 ’ Sfia éerpea r e r Fou r Folios w almost at the last moment . Corrections ere made in some sheets while they were passing through the press . 8 1 6 2 On Nov . , 3 , the volume was probably nearly ready for publication as on that day application was made ’ to the Stationers Company for license to print the sixteen plays which had not been previously entered to Others in the Register . This application was made by Isaac J aggard (son O f a William) and Edward Blount, and their names only p - o f pear upon the title page the book . As a specimen O f typ ography the volume is no credit of to its printers . Errors pagination and signature marks are numerous and inexcusable . The headlines of the last “ two pages of Two Gentlemen O f Verona are wrongly “ ” of f The Merry Wives Windsor , which is the ollowing o f play . Even the initial letter the first word o f text in the in - volume ( B Bote Swaine) was printed upside down, though the mistake was corrected in the larger part of the of edition . The textual misprints in the words Mr . Lee “ ” o f illustrate every phase typographical carelessness . The ’ occasional substitution of actual actors names fo r those o f the characters is evidence of bad editing and shows that - play house transcripts were the manuscripts followed . “ The statement in the Preface that we have scarce re ” ceiv e f m of the d ro him a blot in his papers , is same class “ with that on the title- page Printed according to the True ” r i ll I f O ig na Copies . by these statements it was meant that Shakespeare ’ s own manuscripts were used as copy” f o f they are certainly alse .