Liber C, fly-leaf
Terms of use
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers has graciously contributed the above image from their collections to Shakespeare Documented under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. For any further use, visitors should contact the Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers at clerk@stationers.org.
Document-specific information
Creator: Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
Title: Liber C
Date: 1595-1620
Repository: Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (London, UK)
Call number and opening: Liber C, flyleaf
Terms of use
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers has graciously contributed the above image from their collections to Shakespeare Documented under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. For any further use, visitors should contact the Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers at clerk@stationers.org.
Document-specific information
Creator: Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
Title: Liber C
Date: 1595-1620
Repository: Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (London, UK)
Call number and opening: Liber C, flyleaf
Folger Shakespeare Library Staff, "Stationers’ Register entry for As You Like It, Henry V, and Much Ado About Nothing 'to be staied',"Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/406.
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, Liber C, fly-leaf. See Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/406.
On August 4, 1600, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, and As You Like It (along with a fourth play not authored by Shakespeare, Every Man in His Humor) were noted on the flyleaf of Liber C of the Stationer's Company. Henry V was entered as "HENRY the FFIFT / a booke," Much Ado About Nothing was entered as "The commedie of 'muche A doo about nothing'," and As You Like It was entered as "As you like yt / a booke."
All four plays were indicated by a single bracket, with the note, "to be staied," written in once for all. The publishing rights for Henry V were transferred by the Stationers' Company to Thomas Pavier on August 14, 1600, while the rights for Much Ado About Nothing went to Andrew Wise and William Aspley on August 23. Valentine Simmes printed the first quarto edition of Much Ado About Nothing for Wise and Aspley later that same year, and Thomas Creede printed the first quarto edition of Henry V for Pavier, also later that same year. As You Like It never appeared in a quarto edition, and was first published as a part of the First Folio in 1623.
Liber C and the other registers with Shakespeare’s works are still kept by the Stationers’ Company in their archives.
[This transcription is pending final vetting]
[Current transcription based on Arber; check back soon for a transcription that conforms to Shakespeare Documented conventions]
my lord chamberlens
menns plaies Entred
viz
27 may 1600 A moral of clothe breches &
To mr Robertes. velvet hose
27 May Allarum to London /
To hym
4. Augusti
As you like yt / a booke
Henry the ffift / a booke
Euery man in his humour / a booke } to be staied
The commedie of muche
A doo about nothing
23 Junij / 1603
Tho. Thorp This to be their
william aspley copy gettinge aucthority
for A leter written
to ye governers & assistantes
of ye Est Indian merchantes
in London Concerning the
estat of ye est Indian flete &c vjd. w
Tho Thorp This is to be their copie by direction from
Wm aspley our mr mr Bysshop. They getting Aucthoritie
for yt viz a booke called panegirique
It is before or congratulation for the concord of the kingdomes
entred to of great Britaine in the vnitie of religion vnder
Mr Seton king James &c. written in French by Jo Gordon
Lord of Long orme and one of the gent of the French
Kinges chamber . . . vjd
2 Julij
christopher wilson This is to be his copy yf no, other partie haue
right vnto yt viz a booke called the Divine
Workes of the worldes birthe of the right noble and
Rare Learned Lord V. W. Salustius du
Bartas : yt is vnder the handes of mr
Hartweell and the wardens . . vjd
Sources
Edward Arber, ed., A Transcript of the Registers of the Company of Stationers of London: 1554–1640 A.D. 5 vols. (London: privately printed, 1875–94), 3:37.
DEEP: Database of Early English Playbooks, "As You Like It," Ed. Alan B. Farmer and Zachary Lesser. Created 2007. Accessed 15 January 2016. http://deep.sas.upenn.edu.
DEEP: Database of Early English Playbooks, "Henry V," Ed. Alan B. Farmer and Zachary Lesser. Created 2007. Accessed 15 January 2016. http://deep.sas.upenn.edu.
DEEP: Database of Early English Playbooks, "Much Ado About Nothing," Ed. Alan B. Farmer and Zachary Lesser. Created 2007. Accessed 15 January 2016. http://deep.sas.upenn.edu.
Martin Wiggins and Catherine Richardson, "1148. Much Ado About Nothing," in British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue. Vol. 4, 1598-1602 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 60-4.
Martin Wiggins and Catherine Richardson, "1183. Henry V," in British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue. Vol. 4, 1598-1602 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 98-106.
Martin Wiggins and Catherine Richardson, "1237. As You Like It," in British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue. Vol. 4, 1598-1602 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 211-16.
Last updated February 8, 2020
