Compositor Attributions
In dividing the composition of the comedies amongst the four
compositors, most heed has been paid to the printing evidence and spellings
set out by Hinman. Although I have questioned several of his attributions,
there is none, I believe, which contradicts the spellings. The best test of the
correctness of these attributions will be when the spellings of the individual
compositors are studied en masse. I hope to work on such a descriptive
study later. In the meantime it is enough to know which pages of the Folio
comedies were set by which compositor.
The attributions which are questioned or confirmed are these:
Hinman's Compositor Attributions Questioned or
Confirmed
| Text/p. |
Hinman |
Hill |
Text/p. |
Hinman |
Hill |
|
Tmp. B4 |
A?C |
C |
I5a
|
A?C |
C |
|
TGV 6 |
C(?) |
C |
5v
|
A?C |
C |
| 6v
|
C(?) |
C |
6 |
A?C |
C |
|
Wiv. D2v
|
A?C |
C |
6v
|
A?C |
C |
| 5v
|
?(C) |
C |
K1 |
C?A |
C |
| 6v
|
?(C) |
C |
1v
|
C?A |
C |
| E3 |
? |
F |
2 |
C?A |
C |
| 6v
|
B?D |
B |
3 |
A?C |
C |
|
MM F1 |
A? |
C+D |
3v
|
A?C |
C |
| 1v
|
D |
D+C |
4v
|
A?C |
C |
| 2 |
D |
C+D |
5 |
A?C |
C |
| 3v
|
A |
C |
LLL M1 |
C?A |
C |
| 4 |
A |
C |
1v
|
C?A |
C |
| 4v
|
A |
C |
2 |
C?A |
C |
| 5 |
D |
C+D |
2v
|
C?A |
C |
| 6v
|
D |
D+C |
3 |
C?A |
C |
| G1 |
D |
B+D |
3v
|
C?A |
C |
| 1v
|
D? |
B |
MV O5 |
A?D |
D |
| 2 |
A |
D+C |
5v
|
A?D |
D |
| 4 |
D? |
C+F |
6 |
A?D |
D |
| 4v
|
D? |
F+C |
6v
|
A?D |
D |
| 5 |
A |
C |
P1v
|
C |
D |
| 6 |
A |
F+C |
2 |
A?D |
F |
| 6v
|
A? |
C |
2v
|
A?D |
F |
|
Err. H1 |
D? |
C |
|
|
|
| 1v
|
D? |
C+D |
3 |
A?D |
F |
| 2 |
D? |
D+C |
3v
|
A?D |
F |
| 2v
|
D |
C |
Shr. T5 |
A |
D |
| 3 |
D? |
C+D |
5v
|
A |
D |
| 4 |
D |
C+D |
6 |
A |
D |
|
Ado. I3v
|
A |
C |
6v
|
A |
D |
| 4 |
A?C |
C |
AWW V3 |
A |
D |
| 4v
|
A?C |
C |
3v
|
A |
D |
I am not as confident about every one of these attributions as the absence
of interrogation marks would indicate, but the ensuing discussion will show
where doubt exists. Before these pages are discussed, there are a few minor
remarks on the table which might be made. The number of pages shared by
two compositors in the early comedies is consistent with Hinman's account
of the printing of this part of the Folio, but his suggestion that distribution
irregularities indicate that compositor D was involved in the setting needs
some modification: the distribution of quires F, G, and H was irregular, not
because D was present but because so many of the pages were shared by
two compositors.
[29] Compositor D
seems to have been a cuckoo in Jaggard's printing-house and was
comfortably accommodated (in the printing of the Folio, at least) only when
he was given his own type-case, z, first seen in quire K. The effect of these
reattributions is to diminish A's share
of the comedies and to increase the importance of C and D. As these
compositors set little if any of the Folio after
Jn., editors of
the
early comedies must pay particular attention to their characteristics.
[30]
