THE Preface

Summary

The five plays contained in this volume are here printed in the order in which they occur in the Folios.

1. Much Ado About Nothing. The first edition of this play is a Quarto, of which the title is as follows:

Much adoe about | Nothing. | As it hath been sundrie times publikely | acted by the right honourable, the Lord | Chamberlaine his seruants. | Written by William Shakespeare. | London | Printed by V. S. for Andrew Wise, and | William Aspley. | 1600.

The First Folio edition of this play was obviously printed from a copy of the Quarto belonging to the library of the theatre, and corrected for the purposes of the stage. Some stage directions of interest occur first in the Folio, but as regards the text, where the Folio differs from the Quarto it differs almost always for the worse. The alterations are due however to accident not design.

‘Davenant's version,’ to which reference is made in the notes, is his play ‘The Law against Lovers.’

2. Love's Labour's Lost was published for the first time in Quarto, with the following title:

A | Pleasant | Conceited Comedie | called, | Loues labors lost. | As it was presented before her Highnes | this last Christmas. | Newly corrected and augmented | By W. Shakespere. | Imprinted at London by W. W. | for Cutbert Burby. | 1598.