Securis, A newe almanacke, 1571 (A2v-A3r)

Almanacs often included charts of the human body and indications of which astrological signs ruled which parts. This opening also includes information about propitious times of the year for things not only having to do with the body (bathing, stopping colds) but with planting.

Securis, A newe almanacke, 1571 (A4v-A5r)

This almanac prints the months on individual pages rather than a two-page opening, as become more common in later decades, but a lot of information about astrological bodies and calendar dates is still fit in across the columns.

Shakespeare, First Folio, 1623 (I2v)

Since this play ends part-way down the page, the remainder of the space is taken up with ruling and a decorative tailpiece.

Shakespeare, First Folio, 1623 (nn4v)

The opening of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s First Folio; like the rest of the plays in this book, the start of the play is marked off with a headpiece and an initial letter.

Shakespeare, Lear, 1608 (A2r)

The play which we now call King Lear was not first published with a much longer title, it also differs in its emphasis on Edgar as the lead of the subplot.

Songs in the opera of Hamlet, 1712 (p1)

This (now disbound) page from an opera of Hamlet shows clear marks from the copper plate used to print the music.

Summons, 1622

This summons to appear before the King's exchequer is a typical printed form---the parts that are the standard formula are printed, while the specifics of dates and places are filled in by hand.

The Moderate, 1648 (recto)

This issue of an English newsbook has remained uncut and so shows us its quarto imposition as the pages would have been laid out when printed.

The Moderate, 1648 (verso)

In this unopened sheet, you can see not only the quarto imposition but, if you look closely, one of the pinholes that would have been used to place and hold the blank sheet of paper on the press.

Theobald, Double Falshood, 1728 (A1r)

This half-title page includes the price for the volume printed at the bottom of the page. The full imprint can be found on the full title page on the next leaf.