Pavier quartos

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Typewritten list
List of Pavier quartos in the back of the Edward Gwynn copy (STC 26101 copy 3)

The Pavier quartos, also known as the "False folio," are a group of plays printed in quarto format by William Jaggard for Thomas Pavier in 1619, though some bear earlier false dates. They were sold singly, but also as a bound-together set, hence the nickname "False folio"---the bound-together version has been seen as an attempt at a one-volume edition of Shakespeare's collected plays, preceding the the "First Folio" of 1623. At the time, all were thought to be by Shakespeare. The Folger collection includes one bound-together set in its original binding (the Edward Gwynn copy) which is sometimes referred to in-house as "The Pavier Quartos" despite the Folger actually having many instances of each of the Pavier quartos. The Folger collection also includes the remains of a set of Pavier quartos that were once bound together with an unknown edition of Thomas Heywood's A Woman Killed with Kindness (the Miss Orlebar copy).

W.W. Greg lists the Pavier quartos under the devised title "The Collection of 1619. A collection of ten plays, without general title but with signatures continuous through the first three: begins with a joint title to the first two."[1]

In order of printing

According to W.W. Greg, the Pavier quartos were printed in the following order (given here with the STC number assigned by A.W. Pollard, A Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.) in parentheses):

  • Henry VI, Part 2 , as the first part of The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts (first part of STC 26101)
  • Henry VI, Part 3 , as the second part of The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts (second part of STC 26101)
  • Pericles, in continuous register with The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts but a separate title page (third part of STC 26101)
Folger has 3 complete copies; 5 copies containing only Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3; 1 copy containing only Henry VI, Part 1; 2 copies containing only Henry VI, Part 2; and five copies containing only Pericles (Hamnet record)
  • A Yorkshire Tragedy (STC 22341, not actually by Shakespeare)
Folger has 6 copies (Hamnet record)
  • The Merchant of Venice (STC 22297)
Folger has 4 copies (Hamnet record)
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor (STC 22300)
Folger has 7 copies plus a fragment (Hamnet record)
  • King Lear (STC 22293)
Folger has 6 copies (Hamnet record)
  • Henry V (STC 22291)
Folger has 7 copies (Hamnet record)
  • Sir John Oldcastle (STC 18796; not actually by Shakespeare)
Folger has 7 copies plus a fragment (Hamnet record)
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (STC 22303)
Folger has 7 copies (Hamnet record)

In order by STC number

The Pavier quartos are numbered in A.W. Pollard, A Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.), as follows:

  • Sir John Oldcastle (STC 18796; not actually by Shakespeare)
Folger has 7 copies plus a fragment (Hamnet record)
  • Henry V (STC 22291)
Folger has 7 copies (Hamnet record)
  • King Lear (STC 22293)
Folger has 6 copies (Hamnet record)
  • The Merchant of Venice (STC 22297)
Folger has 4 copies (Hamnet record)
  • The Merry Wives of Windsor (STC 22300)
Folger has 7 copies plus a fragment (Hamnet record)
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (STC 22303)
Folger has 7 copies (Hamnet record)
  • A Yorkshire Tragedy (STC 22341, not actually by Shakespeare)
Folger has 6 copies (Hamnet record)
  • Henry VI, Part 2 (first part of STC 26101, as the first part of The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts)
  • Henry VI, Part 3 (second part of STC 26101, as the second part of The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts)
  • Pericles (third part of STC 26101, in continuous register with The Whole Contention Between the Two Famous Houses, Lancaster and York...Divided into Two Parts but a separate title page)
Folger has 3 complete copies; 5 copies containing only Henry VI, Part 2 and Henry VI, Part 3; 1 copy containing only Henry VI, Part 1; 2 copies containing only Henry VI, Part 2; and five copies containing only Pericles (Hamnet record)


Notes

  1. W.W. Greg, Bibliography of the English printed drama to the Restoration, vol. 3, p. 1107.