Four undated editions of Julius Caesar were issued in quarto format sometime during the late 17th or early 18th centuries. The precise date of printing for these four editions has been the subject of much scholarly debate. The particular copy described herein displays the typographical peculiarities that Bartlett & Pollard ascribe to the first of the four quartos, all of which are said to date between 1684 and 1691. John W. Velz, however, argues that the first three of those four undated quartos were actually printed between 1695 and 1700. ESTC, STC (2nd ed.), and Wing follow suit, dating the three to ca. 1695. Many standard bibliographic resources, including several mentioned above, are inconsistent in their descriptions of the peculiarities typically relied upon to distinguish each of the editions. In order to avoid ambiguity, customary citation to specific entries within such resources has therefore been omitted.

Signatures: A-Hþ́

Error in pagination: page 15 is wrongly numbered 51.

The penultimate line of text on F ́reads, "I have no will to wander forth to day."

Title page vignette comprised of 15 modified fleurs-de-lys.

Bartlett, H.C. Shakespeare early editions

Bartlett & Pollard. Shakespeare's quartos (rev. ed.), 477

ESTC

STC (2nd ed.)

Velz, J.C. Pirate Hills and the quartos of Julius Caesar (PBSA 63 (1969): 177-193

Wing

Boston Public Library (Rare Books Department) copy halfbound in brown calfskin with marbled paper over boards. All text block edges are sprinkled red. The armorial bookplate of the Barton Library appears on the front pastedown. An ink inscription across the title page reads, "Eliza Hulme, 1813, by F.P.H." The head and tail edges of the text block have been closely trimmed.