"ALMOST EQUAL IN IMPORTANCE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE TO THE FIRST FOLIO OF SHAKESPEARE."
Comedies and Tragedies Written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen. Never Printed Before, And now published by the Authours Originall Copies. London: Humphrey Robinson and Humphrey Moseley, 1647, folio.
THE FIRST FOLIO OF BEAUMONT & FLETCHER, THE THIRD GREAT FOLIO OF ELIZABETHAN DRAMA AFTER BEN JONSON (1616) AND WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1623).
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FIRST COLLECTED EDITION of the plays of Beaumont and Fletcher, like Shakespeare's, published posthumously. This first folio contains 36 previously unpublished plays. This folio came out when theatres were idled in the 1640s by the Puritan governments during the height of the English Civil War and so the publication of this was a huge political statement at the time since the publisher Humphrey Moseley was a staunch Royalist who most likely printed this as a substitute for theatre attendance, of course later to be performed following the restoration in 1660. Grolier describes the extremely interesting printing process of this important first folio, suggesting that no less than 8 printers are believed to have been actually employed in order to expedite the issuance of this book, most likely because of the politics of the era.
As Allibone remarks, "Beaumont bringing the ballast of judgement, Flether the sail of phantasy... He who has not perused Beaumont and Fletcher can have no complete idea of the riches of English poetry" (Allibone I, 150-151). This first folio is the first printing of the majority of their works, only one play (Wild-Goose Chase) was not included in this folio and that's because the manuscript had been lost; this was separately printed six years later.
This first folio is practically impossible to find at retail for anywhere under $10,000 which still seems rather inexpensive given just how significant this book is, being one of the three "First Folio[s]" of Elizabethan theatre, with Shakespeare's first folio of course being one of the most expensive books to ever sell, being worth around $10 million. Our copy offered here for sale of Beaumont & Fletcher's first folio is in a near contemporary binding without restoration in a remarkably well preserved state. Extant copies are almost always significantly incomplete but here we find it complete save for just one leaf.
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Provenance:
Likely early modern female ownership, probably 17th century inscription, partially erased by a later owner, written to final textual leaf 8F4, possibly “Elizabeth Graddwell” (?).
Naive inscription to foot of 8F4 reading “B Ricker hor, 1701” (?), trimmed at foot, possibly the inscription of a child.
Sold at Sotheby & Co auctions 6th June 1969 for £20 where acquired by J McCash and subsequently retailed, below.
Sold by W & G Foyle at Beeleigh Abbey Books, 28th August 1969 for £165.
Sold at Bloomsbury Book Auctions 7th January 1999 for £276 to John S. Fletcher.
By descent until recent acquisition by us.
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Condition:
[(1), [t.p.], t.p., A2-A4, a1-b4, (c1)-(c4), d1-g2, B1-L2, 2A1-2S4, 3A1-3X3, 4A1-4I4, 5A1-5X4, 6A1-6L6, 7A1-7G4, 8A1-8C4, [*8D1-2], 8D1-8F4, (2)]
Near contemporary full calf binding, retaining its tooled black morocco label. Leather a little rubbed with some minor losses but generally very presentable. Rear joints starting with front board detached but present. Binding is generally secure and not cocked/warped. Page edges very good with top edge dulled as typical, contemporaneous red colouring. Lacks one textual leaf, 3X4, else textually collates as complete which is very scarce indeed for this edition.
Engraved title page provided in facsimile, main title page is original but has been remounted slightly askew. Mispagination in 3M & 5L gatherings as printed but without any lacking leaves here. Some pasted in early writing to the blank verso of 5M4 with a loose slip prior to The Tamer Tamed relating to this play, as well as opposite 5T1, similar. Minor loss to bottom right corners of A2-a4 (preliminaries) not affecting sense of text. Spare contemporary blank present, loosely placed after b2.
Generally very bright and attractive throughout the text with occasional minor dampstaining/toning but overall a vastly superior example which reads and presents very nicely indeed.
[Wing B1581; ESTC R22900; Pforzheimer 53; Greg III,1013; Grolier/English 28].
