Charlton Hinman (1911–1977)

One of the great joys of 20th century scholarship. Hinman devoted much of his professional life to conducting the> major evidence-based study of the First Folio of Shakespeare's Works, that massive 1623 tome that remains the crucial text of English literature 400 years on.

This dense study examines every aspect of the printing and production of that folio, with much of the focus on minute details of chipping on individual letters from the font kit, misspellings, jumbled words, incorrect endings of lines, complicated speech headings, and so on. Sixty years later, Hinman's work has been amended, debated, revised, and expanded, but it remains a crucial text in the study of this secular Bible.… (plus d'informations)

Fascinating and indispensible.

from the introduction:

"(I : Introduction : Old Problems and New Needs)

p. 13-14 : “The conclusions reached in part II are often widely at variance with commonly accepted theories about the printing of the First Folio (“FF”). If they are sound they will require radical changes both in our general notions about the reliability of the Folio text and in specific editorial practices. It is not to be expected—nor is it by any means desired—that these conclusions will be accepted on faith. The evidence and the techniques upon which their validity depends must therefore be fully explained—and in a manner that will be intelligible to non-specialists. It is hoped that the account of them that is given in Chapter 3 of part I will prove as interesting as it is necessary. But it would be idle to pretend that the matters discussed in this chapter will present no difficulties whatever to any careful reader; for from some complexity, at least, the evidence itself allows no escape."

… (plus d'informations)