The First Folio of Shakespeare by Peter W.M. Blayney

CITATION: Blayney, Peter W.M. The First Folio of Shakespeare. Washington, DC: Folger Library Publications, 1991.
Understanding

• Question: How do the resources of the Folger Library reflect the origins of Shakespeare's first folio?
• Answer: Charlton Hinman contextualized the Folger's variant copies of the folio through textual collation to a time and a group of collators, and Blayney adds to that research information about the inclusion of Troilus, sales, rentals, and resales of the edition, paratexts, and reception.
• Method: Some of the bibliographic methods include: the collation of broken type (to time); collation of spelling variants (to compositors); collation of copperplate alterations (to an engraver); collation of proofsheets (to stop-press corrections); the synthesis of records of purchase and rebinding.
• Assumptions: Blayney draws extensively from Hinman's work, but accepts modifications to Hinman's description of compositors: he abandons Hinman's five-compositor account for the fullest nine-compositor account.
• Sententiae: "The printing of the Shakespeare Folio began in early 1622, perhaps at the beginning of February, when Jaggard was still working on two books that had been started in 1621. One of them--an edition of Thomas Wilson's Christian Dictionary--was almost complete... Augustine Vincent's Discoverie of Errours--was of greater importance to William Jaggard than was the First Folio." (5)
  "Like many pages in the text, [the engraved portrait on the Folio title-page] is variant. In the first few copies printed, there is so little shading on the ruff that Shakespeare's head seems to be floating in mid-air. The plate was therefore modified, most notably by shading an area of ruff below Shakespeare's left ear... It is unlikely that anyone but [engraver Martin] Droeshout would have considered those alterations necessary." (18)
  "Some booksellers, though, apparently did lend books for a fee... The most likely interpretation of the note [in Folger copy 60] is that [Thomas] Bourne lent out this folio (perhaps more than once) for an unknown sum that included a 'security deposit' of half the cost of replacing the book." (29)

Overstanding

• Assessment: Obviously Blayney knows what he's doing, and he's synthesizing a great deal of information in the Folger collection into a very concise format.
• Synthesis: Blayney's treatment of Droeshout's engraving--as something worthy of revision--conflicts slightly with the "iconic" understanding argued by Katherine Acheson. Whereas the Folio illustrated a popular personality, Acheson's books illustrated "foure-footed beastes," and therein may be the difference.
• Application: Blayney's interpretation of the notes in Folger copy 60 might be interpreted in light of the division of profits: it might be revealing to consider the proportion of the "security deposit" relative to the profits of other parties (printers' thirds, etc.).