This, the fourth edition of the collected plays of William Shakespeare, is commonly known as ́the fourth folio." The so-called ́first folió was printed in London and issued in 1623 by Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount. It contained 36 plays, 18 of which had never before appeared in print, including Macbeth, The tempest, and Julius Caesar. Before the first folio, a number of Shakespeare's plays had been published in various smaller formats that were often edited poorly, with significant textual divergences between editions. Of the seven extra plays included in this folio, only one (Pericles) is still considered to have been authored by Shakespeare.

The front matter contains commendatory verses and epistles dedicatory from contemporaries and admirers of Shakespeare, including Ben Jonson, James Mabbe, Leonard Digges, Hugh Holland, and John Milton.

There is one other title page setting associated with this edition. It bears the following imprint: H. Herringman, E. Brewster, and R. Bentley, at the Anchor in the New Exchange, the Crane in St. Pauls Church-Yard, and in Russel-Street Covent-Garden, 1685.

Greg identified Robert Roberts as the printer of the first section and conjectured that the edition itself was the work of three separate printers, the final two of whom remained unidentified.

Signatures: pi℗ø [superscript pi]Áþ A-Ýœ Źþ ℗øB-℗øĆœ 2D-2Źœ *3A-3D́œ 3Éı 3A-4B́œ 4C℗ø

Numerous errors in pagination are present. For a detailed description, see Greg.

Ú signed Ú.

Bartlett, H.C. Shakespeare early editions, 123

Boston Public Library. Barton collection catalogue, p. 2

ESTC R24524

Greg, III, p. 1121

Pforzheimer 911

Wing (2nd ed.) 2917

Boston Public Library (Rare Books Department) copy bound in early calfskin triple-panelled in blind. A gilt, armorial super-ex-libris, being a lion rampant at a gun over the initials J.L.G. is present at the center of both covers. The corners of the binding have been repaired in modern calf and the spine rebacked in brown morocco, the latter repair leaving some material from the original compartments and a portion of a deteriorated leather label in place. All text block edges are sprinkled red. An extra sheet (Y3.4) is bound-into Ýœ. The running title on the second page of "The two gentlemen of Verona" (p. 19) is erroneously printed as "The tempest." It appears that sheets 2G1.6 and 2G2.5 were each inserted from different copies, as the conjugate pairs share matching worm holes found neither in adjascent gatherings, nor in the other sheets that comprise 2Ǵœ. The armorial bookplate of the Barton Library is present on the front pastedown and an inscription signed by Barton is present on the added front flyleaf. An early Latin inscription on the title page reads, "Dom[in]ii neoporti[?] Anglorum". This copy was purchased by Thomas Pennant Barton from Thomas Rodd, of London, in 1834 and is presently housed in a green cloth box with a black spine label.