Disbound Large Fragment of the First Folio of 1647

Francis Beaumont (1584-1616) and John Fletcher (1579-1625) were the English dramatists who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603-1625). They became famous as a team early in their association, so much so that their joined names were applied to the total canon of Fletcher, including his solo works and the plays he composed with various other collaborators Philip Massinger, Nathan Field, and many more. The first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647 contained 35 plays; 53 plays were included in the second folio in 1679. Other works bring the total plays in the canon to about 55. While scholars and critics will probably never render a unanimous verdict on the authorship of all these plays especially given the difficulties of some of the individual cases contemporary scholarship has arrived at a corpus of about 12 to 15 plays that are the work of both men. Nothing is known about Fletcher's life between his proceeding MA in 1598 (though he was probably still living with his uncle Giles in 1601) and his first involvement in writing a play, The Woman Hater (1606), with Francis Beaumont. From this time until his death in August 1625, he wrote or had a hand in over fifty plays. There is no evidence that Fletcher, like Shakespeare and Jonson, began acting before writing plays. He and Beaumont both seem to have been part of Jonson's circle at the Mermaid by the time of The Woman Hater. At first Beaumont and Fletcher wrote for the private children's acting companies, then c.1608-1610 they began their connection with the King's Men at the Globe Theatre. Even in the seventeenth century the notion of what Beaumont and Fletcher denoted was quite hazy. Their first folio of 1647, Comedies and Tragedies written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Gentlemen, clearly designed to rival the impressive folios of Shakespeare and Jonson, contained thirty-four plays and a masque; eighteen more plays were added in the second folio (1679). DNB

The previous owner�s father, Bladon Peake, had this fragment evaluated in the 1950�s � see photograph of document.

FRAGMENT:

21cm x 32, (Weight 1 kg, 300 g) 538 pp, numbered as follows and comprising the following plays:

51-75: The Little French Lawyer

1-143 (missing 3-6): The Custom of The Country, The Noble Gentlemen, The Captaine, The Beggar's Bush, The Coxcomb, The False One

1-50: The Chances, The Loyall Subject

71-165: The Lovers Progress, The Island Princess, The Humorous Lieutenant, The Passionate Mad-man and a 2 page letter: �M. Francis Beaumonts Letter to Ben Johnson, written before he and Master Fletcher came to London, with two of the precedent comedies then not finish, which deferred their merry meetings at the Mermaid�

1 � 71: The Maid in the Mill, The Prophetess, The Tragedie of Bonduca

1 � 95: The Sea Voyage, The Double Marriage, The Pilgrim, The Knight of Malta

125 � 172: Loves Cure or The Martial Maid, The Honest Mans Fortune

1 � 68: The Queene of Corinth, Women Pleased, A Wife for a Moneth.

Missing:

Missing title page, should read as follows: Comedies and Tragedies written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher Gentlemen. Never printed before, And now published by the Authours Originall Copies. Si quid habens veri Vatum praesagia vivarn. London, Printed for Humphrey Robinson, at the three Pidgeons, and for Humphrey Moseley at the Princes Arms in St Pauls.

Pagination should be: [52], 75, [1], 143, [1], 166, [3], 71, [1] 172, 92, 50 [i.e. 52], 28, 25-48 pp.

Missing: Epistle Dedicatorie, reading as follows: To the Reader (signed by James Shirley) The Stationer to the readers. Commendatory Verses (a number of leaves).

Missing: catalogue of all the Comedies and Tragedies.

Missing 9 of the 34 plays there should be in total. The missing plays appear to be:

The Mad Lover, The Faire Maid of the Inn, The Spanish Curate, Wit at Several Weapons, Valentinian, Loves Pilgrimage, The Laws of Candy, The Mask of the Gentleman etc, Four Plays in one.

Condition: No binding. Initial pp 51 - 56 loose; pp 57 - 66 bound together; p 71 loose and torn in half.

Next p1 and p 7 loose; pp 9 - 94 bound together; p 95 loose and torn; pp 97 - 143 bound together; pp 73 - 75 bound together. Next p 1-50 together. p 71 loose. pp 73-94 together. pp 95 (torn)-165 together.

Next p 1 loose and torn; pp 3 � 92 bound together; pp 93-95 loose; p125 loose; pp 127-172 & pp 1-64 bound together; pp 65-68 loose.

Many pages edges frayed, some with tears, some slight, occasional staining; but otherwise pages in good condition.

Please note this lot will be posted from the UK.