Quarto Copy of Henry IV, Part 2
As it was sold in London in 1600
Persona Pentathlon Item 4: Bookbinding
Stab-stitched copy of Henry IV, Part 2 by William Shakespeare, printed in quarto form and bound as it would have been at the time of publication in 1600 CE. The text on the pages is sourced from an extant copy of the 1600 edition of the quarto held by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC, and the binding is inspired primarily by a copy of the London Prodigall, also held by the Folger. Due to necessities of economy and scale the pages are printed on modern cotton paper using a laser printer, however all other techniques and materials are historically accurate making this as reasonable a facsimile as I can manage without a moving type press.
This quarto has been an exercise in research as much as in bookbinding, and in this documentation I will outline both my process on creating and binding these pages as well as some of what I’ve learned about renaissance bookbinding and the publishing of plays in 1600’s London along the way. My preconceived notions were turned completely on their head by a helpful research librarian, and my only regret on this project is that the Folger reading room is closed to the public through June so I cannot request to view either the two extant quartos which inspired this piece.