University of Virginia Library

QUIRE B The Mad Lover I.i-II.ii

Presswork

In Skeleton I Rule 14 was replaced by Rule 15, which continues into subsequent quires, an indication that B2v:3 preceded B1v:4.[17]

Composition and Distribution

The following types and rules appear in B2v and B4v:

and the following in B3 and B4: The reappearance of type from both pages of B2v:3 implies that this forme was printed and distributed before either B4 or B4v was set and hence before either B1v:4 or B1:4v was machined. That it shares no types with B2:3v suggests that B2:3v was run either immediately before or immediately after B2v:3 and the fact that B2:3v was not distributed until Quires C and D were in progress (C graph, lines 3, 4, and 6; D graph, line 4) indicates that B2:3v followed B2v:3 through the press. There is no way to prove that it was not composed before B2v:3, but its later machining clearly suggests that its composition also followed. Since B4 type reappears before B1 type (C graph, lines 5, 9, and 11), B1v:4 must have preceded B1:4v. The order of printing was thus:      

Skeleton:	I	II	I	II
Forme:	B2v:3	B2:3v	B1v:4	B1:4v
Center-rule:	29 28	30 36	32 28	-- 29

Because B2v type is found only in B4v and B3 type only in B4, it is unlikely that both type pages of the forme were distributed into the same type case, and spelling evidence indicates that two compositors were at work in the quire, Compositor A setting B1-B2v and B4v and Compositor B setting B3-B4. The two runs of pages are distinguished by the following variant spellings:

We may conclude that the quire was set from two typecases by two compositors, their division of labor pretty certainly indicating that they worked more-or-less simultaneously for most of the quire:        

Case:	A	A	A	A	A
Compositor A:	B2v	B2	B1v	B1	B4v
Case:	B	B	B
Compositor B:	B3	B3v	B4

The fact that Compositor B left A alone to set B1:4v suggests that he was temporarily off the job, and there are signs in Quire C that his attention may have been given briefly to other work.