(2) The belief in the
existence
of 'the
so-called first edition of the second volume in 1631' is due to the
dates prefixed to the opening plays.
so-called first edition of the second volume in 1631' is due to the
dates prefixed to the opening plays.
Ben Jonson - The Devil's Association
Copies of this
original edition were, in 1640-1, bound into the second volume of the
First Folio of Jonson's collected works. [1] In 1641 a variant reprint
edition of _The Devil is an Ass_, apparently small, was issued
in pamphlet form. The play reappears in all subsequent collected
editions. These are: (1) the 'Third Folio', 1692; (2) a bookseller's
edition, 1716 [1717]; (3) Whalley's edition, 1756; (4) John
Stockdale's reprint of Whalley's edition (together with the works
of Beaumont and Fletcher), 1811; (5) Gifford's edition, 1816; (6)
Barry Cornwall's one-volume edition, 1838; (7) Lieut. Col. Francis
Cunningham's three-volume reissue (with some minor variations) of
Gifford's edition, 1871; (8) another reissue by Cunningham, in
nine volumes (with additional notes), 1875. The _Catalogue_ of the
British Museum shows that Jonson's works were printed in two volumes
at Dublin in 1729. Of these editions only the first two call for
detailed description, and of the others only the first, second,
third, fifth, and eighth will be discussed.
=1631. = Owing to irregularity in contents and arrangement in
different copies, the second volume of the First Folio has been
much discussed. Gifford speaks of it as the edition of 1631-41. [2]
Miss Bates, copying from Lowndes, gives it as belonging to 1631,
reprinted in 1640 and in 1641. [3] Ward says substantially the
same thing. [4] In 1870, however, Brinsley Nicholson, by a careful
collation,[5] arrived at the following results. (1) The so-called
editions of the second volume assigned to 1631, 1640, and 1641 form
only a single edition.
(2) The belief in the existence of 'the
so-called first edition of the second volume in 1631' is due to the
dates prefixed to the opening plays. (3) The belief in the existence
of the volume of 1641 arose from the dates of _Mortimer_ and the
_Discoveries_, 'all the copies of which are dated 1641', and of
the variant edition of _The Devil is an Ass_, which will next be
described. (4) The 1640 edition supplies for some copies a general
title-page, 'R. Meighen, 1640', but the plays printed in 1631 are
reprinted from the same forms. Hazlitt arrives at practically the
same conclusions. [6]
The volume is a folio by measurement, but the signatures
are in fours.
Collation: Five leaves, the second with the signature A_3 B-M in
fours. Aa-Bb; Cc-Cc_2 (two leaves); C_3 (one leaf); one leaf; D-I in
fours; two leaves. [N]-Y in fours; B-Q in fours; R (two leaves); S-X
in fours; Y (two leaves); Z-Oo in fours. Pp (two leaves). Qq; A-K in
fours. L (two leaves). [M]-R in fours. A-P in fours. Q (two leaves).
[R]-V in fours.
original edition were, in 1640-1, bound into the second volume of the
First Folio of Jonson's collected works. [1] In 1641 a variant reprint
edition of _The Devil is an Ass_, apparently small, was issued
in pamphlet form. The play reappears in all subsequent collected
editions. These are: (1) the 'Third Folio', 1692; (2) a bookseller's
edition, 1716 [1717]; (3) Whalley's edition, 1756; (4) John
Stockdale's reprint of Whalley's edition (together with the works
of Beaumont and Fletcher), 1811; (5) Gifford's edition, 1816; (6)
Barry Cornwall's one-volume edition, 1838; (7) Lieut. Col. Francis
Cunningham's three-volume reissue (with some minor variations) of
Gifford's edition, 1871; (8) another reissue by Cunningham, in
nine volumes (with additional notes), 1875. The _Catalogue_ of the
British Museum shows that Jonson's works were printed in two volumes
at Dublin in 1729. Of these editions only the first two call for
detailed description, and of the others only the first, second,
third, fifth, and eighth will be discussed.
=1631. = Owing to irregularity in contents and arrangement in
different copies, the second volume of the First Folio has been
much discussed. Gifford speaks of it as the edition of 1631-41. [2]
Miss Bates, copying from Lowndes, gives it as belonging to 1631,
reprinted in 1640 and in 1641. [3] Ward says substantially the
same thing. [4] In 1870, however, Brinsley Nicholson, by a careful
collation,[5] arrived at the following results. (1) The so-called
editions of the second volume assigned to 1631, 1640, and 1641 form
only a single edition.
(2) The belief in the existence of 'the
so-called first edition of the second volume in 1631' is due to the
dates prefixed to the opening plays. (3) The belief in the existence
of the volume of 1641 arose from the dates of _Mortimer_ and the
_Discoveries_, 'all the copies of which are dated 1641', and of
the variant edition of _The Devil is an Ass_, which will next be
described. (4) The 1640 edition supplies for some copies a general
title-page, 'R. Meighen, 1640', but the plays printed in 1631 are
reprinted from the same forms. Hazlitt arrives at practically the
same conclusions. [6]
The volume is a folio by measurement, but the signatures
are in fours.
Collation: Five leaves, the second with the signature A_3 B-M in
fours. Aa-Bb; Cc-Cc_2 (two leaves); C_3 (one leaf); one leaf; D-I in
fours; two leaves. [N]-Y in fours; B-Q in fours; R (two leaves); S-X
in fours; Y (two leaves); Z-Oo in fours. Pp (two leaves). Qq; A-K in
fours. L (two leaves). [M]-R in fours. A-P in fours. Q (two leaves).
[R]-V in fours.
