The Press Sheet Sample Facsimile Package includes:
A set of three facsimile Folio press sheets making up “gathering oo”
The First Folio of 1623 is predominantly a folio in sixes, meaning that it was made up of sets of three press sheets, folded and nested makingquires, or gatherings, of six leaves or 12 pages. The text of Folio Hamlet occupies two complete gatherings, preceded and followed by portions of two others.
A facsimile of 2nd Quarto press sheet “E”
A single quarto press sheet, when folded twice, forms four leaves or eight pages. Type for the eight pages had to be laid out in a curious arrangement to come out in sequence and right side up when the press sheet was folded. This is easier to demonstrate with a facsimile than to describe.
An 11×17 Illustrated Overview of Quarto and Folio printing
The overview includes descriptions of inner and outer forms, gatherings or quires, rectos and versos, setting type in seriatim vs. setting by forms, and the casting off process. The compositor type setting discussion includes examples of quarto and Folio variants that are thought to be a function of compositor considerations and issues.
The HAMLET Folio and Q2 Press Sheet Facsimile Package is available for purchase from the Howland Research Shop.
List price $14.95. Enter coupon code ‘ac-presssheet’ at checkout to receive the academic/educator’s price of $9.95.