1443100 1685 Shakespeare. Fourth Folio. The Coningsby/Arkwright Copy.

 

The Fourth Folio Of Shakespeare’s Plays, 1685.  SHAKESPEARE, William. Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Published according to the true Original Copies. Unto which is added, Seven Plays, Never before Printed in Folio.  The Fourth Edition. London: Printed for H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley, 1685. Folio (10 by 15 inches), near-contemporary full speckled brown calf expertly rebacked, raised bands, gilt armorial bearings of the Coningsby family on both covers, period-style red morocco spine label.

 

Rare 1685 Fourth Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, first issue, with the third state of the engraved frontispiece portrait of Shakespeare by Droeshout (as issued), the ten-line poem by Ben Jonson and John Milton’s first poem. The folios are 'incomparably the most important work in the English language' (William A. Jackson). Because of their incalculable impact on the language, thought and literature of our world, they are among the most desirable of all English language books, the prizes of any collection. This is a splendid copy, with some leaves supplied from other copies of the same edition but all original leaves from the 1685 fourth folio printing, with no facsimiles as are often found, in handsome armorial binding.  Because the Fourth Folio had been 'modernized,' it was therefore nearer a modern text than either the Second or Third, and became the edition of choice for future editors. Shakespeare’s first acknowledged editor, Nicholas Rowe, for example, used the Fourth as the basis for his famous 1709 edition. The Fourth was printed on Dutch Demy Royal sheets, a larger format than any of its predecessors, and the type is in a larger font than the three earlier editions, and more liberally spaced (Jaggard, 497). In addition to Ben Jonson’s famous epitaph, this edition also includes the unsigned 'An Epitaph on the admirable Dramatick Poet, William Shakespear,' regarded as John Milton’s first published poem, written when he was a student at Cambridge and appearing for the first time in the Second Folio (1632).  

 

First issue, without Richard Chiswell listed in the imprint statement, as in the second issue (a third issue lists Herringman alone). For this fourth edition, Shakespeare’s text was cast off to three different printers (one of whom has been identified as Robert Roberts), who typeset their sections simultaneously, thus shortening the time it took to bring the edition to market (and tying up as little type as possible from any one printer). When the work was finished and the three sections of printed sheets collated, there was a shortage of 17 sheets from the second section, which were then hastily reprinted without the characteristic borders around the text. Copies have been found with these second state sheets. All of the relevant sheets in this present copy, however, are the original settings, with the page-borders. A second anomaly distinguishes this edition: in collating the sheets it was also discovered that text had been omitted from the first section, so that leaf L1 had to be reset in a smaller point-size to accommodate the missing text. Shakespeare’s portrait is in the third state, as issued, with extensive additional crosshatching in his hair and in the shadow on his ruff (see Blayney, 19).  Early on, efforts were made to complete broken copies of the folios with leaves from other incomplete or damaged copies of the same edition. This is one of the copies so completed, with the following leaves supplied from other copies: π1-2; A1-4; G1; Ff2, 5; Yy2, 5; Zz1-2, 5-6; Dd3-4; Ee1, 8; Ddd3-4; Eee2, 5; Hhh3-4; Kkk1, 6; Nnn1-6; Qqq1, 5; Ttt2, 5; Vvv2, 5; Zzz2-5. Mis-signed gatherings and mispaginations in this copy are consistent with Greg (see below), except for signature corrections at Mm3, and corrected page numbers at 96, 225 and 228. Pages 97-98 and 161-162 were mistakenly omitted in the numbering sequence in all issues (this copy complete with no pages in facsimile).

 

Although there is no accurate census of the number of folios still extant today, it is believed that copies of each printing number only in the hundreds. Greg III, 1119-1121. Wing S2915. Jaggard, 497.  Pforzheimer 910 (second issue). Bartlett 123. Miller, 138-39. Dawson, 'Some Irregularities in the Shakespeare Fourth Folio' (Studies in Bibliography, 1951).  Armorial binding with the arms of Coningsby, Hampton Court. Sir Humphrey Coningsby, judge under Henry VIII, bought Hampton Court, in Herefordshire in 1510 and it remained in the Coningsby family until the early 19th century when the estate (apparently including the library) was purchased by Richard Arkwright, son of the inventor of the same name, who developed the water frame and became the richest commoner in England. This copy bears the armorial bookplate of Richard’s son, Sir John Arkwright, MP from Herefordshire. Interior generally fine, with very few instances of foxing or staining, page 1 of The Tempest moderately soiled. Near contemporary calf in excellent condition. An unusually fresh, tall, clean copy, with distinguished provenance.