William Jaggard

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Jaggard (ca.1568 - November 1623 ) was a printer and editor in the time of Queen Elizabeth and James I. He is best known for his relationship with the early printed editions of the works of William Shakespeare , particularly the First Folio .

life and work

He was the son of John Jaggard, a London bathhouse . Old Jaggard had already died when his son began an apprenticeship with the printer Henry Denham on Michaealis Day , September 29, 1584. William Jaggard became a full member ("freeman") of the Stationers Company on December 6, 1591 . Over time, Jaggard became one of the most influential stationers of his time. He acquired the right to print playbills (program booklets) and due to a royal power of attorney from 1604 he was the only printer who was allowed to print editions of the Ten Commandments. He was thus given a monopoly over the parishes. In 1610 he was named "Printer to the City of London". When the stationers decided to compile a catalog of all English books from 1618-19, Jaggard was awarded the contract. William Jaggard's brother, John Jaggard, was also a printer and bookseller and owned the copyright for printing Sir Francis Bacon's essays . John arranged for the editions of the essays in 1606, 1612 and 1613. These were printed by his brother William. William Jaggard produced a variety of different printed matter. He published Edward Topsell's The History of Four-Footed Beasts (1607) and The History of Serpents (1608). Topsell's books are known for their excellent quality and show that Jaggard, contrary to popular belief, was able to produce prints of very high quality. Jaggard's books were often offered by the bookseller Matthew Lownes. He had his business in St Paul’s Churchyard, the center of the London book trade. After his death, his son Isaac took over his father's business in 1623.

Relationships with the work of Shakespeare

In 1608 Jaggard acquired the estate of the elder James Roberts, a printer with close ties to Shakespeare's work. Roberts printed the second quarto by Titus Andronicus for the dealer Edward White and the first quarto of Merchant of Venice for Thomas Heyes in 1600 . He arranged for the printing of Hamlet's second quarto for Nicholas Ling in 1604. Roberts also had the license to print the "handbills" used by Elizabethan drama groups to promote their performances. Jaggard pursued this monopoly, but did not get it until 1615. Jaggard's 20-year commitment to Shakespeare's work began with the publication of The Passionate Pilgrim , a collection attributed to Shakespeare, in 1599. Jaggard printed an expanded version in 1612. 1619 was Jaggard involved in the so-called False Folio Affaire. In the years 1621-23 his printing house was busy with the production of the First Folio. Because of Jaggard's activities in the case of The Passionate Pilgrim and the False Folio, many scholars have wondered why John Heminges and Henry Condell , two members of the King's Men who compiled the texts for the First Folio, had Jaggard put into print the First Folio. It is commonly assumed that only Jaggard's company was up to such a large task.

legacy

William Jaggard's health deteriorated over the last decade of his life. He may have been suffering from the effects of syphilis and its treatment. When making the First Folio, he was blind and so frail that his son Isaac took over the business. Old Jaggard died in November 1623, a month before the First Folio was published.

literature

  • Ames, Joseph: Typographical Anomalies. London, 1790 edition.
  • Chute, Marchette Gaylord: Shakespeare of London. New York, Dutton, 1949.
  • Growoll, Adolf, and Wilberforce Eames: Three Centuries of the English Booktrade Bibliography. New York, Greenhalgh, 1903.
  • Halliday, FE: A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964. Baltimore, Penguin, 1964.
  • Willoughby, Edwin Eliott: A Printer of Shakespeare. London, Philip Allan & Co., 1934.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ames, p. 1371.
  2. ^ Dobson Oxford Companion. P. 219.
  3. ↑ Growoll and Eames, p. 35.
  4. ^ Halliday, pp. 416-17.
  5. ^ Dobson Oxford Companion. P. 219.
personal data
SURNAME Jaggard, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English printer and editor in Shakespeare's time
DATE OF BIRTH around 1568
DATE OF DEATH November 1623