Doubtful Authorship of the Preface of the 1623 Shakespeare First Folio
Thomas Merriam
THE FIRST FOLIO’S ‘A Catalogue of the several Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies contained in this Volume’ is imperfectly a catalogue raisonné. In defence claim Preface (‘To great Variety Readers’) that Catalogue’s contents are ‘cured, perfect their limbs, all rest, absolute numbers, as he conceived them’, there lies presumption solicitude to authorship attribution relatively modern concern, coterminous with copyright laws were non-existent seventeenth century.1 Brian Vickers has challenged view by pointing out classical times was taken seriously. The Hellenistic poet scholar Callimachus compiled his Pinakes, ‘Table Those who have distinguished themselves Every Form Culture What they Wrote’, work 120 books, which both bibliography Greek literature Alexandrian Library, organized subject including biographical notes.2
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