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The rhythm of the First Folio

Printers developed a rhythm as they printed pages onto sheets, and then assembled sheets into gatherings. This rhythm involved estimating the amount of text that would fit on one page and then printing pages on both sides of a sheet, in the order that could be read sequentially once they were folded and nested together. To help you feel that rhythm, this exercise guides you to assemble the first gathering of the Folio’s first play, The Tempest. One of the things you may note about this rhythm is that the first pages to be printed on the “innermost form” were the two in the middle of the set of twelve. Then the printers worked their way back towards the beginning and forwards towards the end of that segment of text.

Establishing a rhythm from sheet to gathering

There are three sheets, six leaves, and twelve pages in a typical gathering of the First Folio. Following the sequence of six “leaves,” drag and drop these pages into the blank forms to position the first three sheets of the First Folio for printing. Note “r” is for recto, or the front of a page, and “v” for verso, or the back. The schematic “gathering” at the bottom is your goal. Start with the innermost sheet, as the printers did. Don’t forget to flip the forms to recreate both sides.

1r | p. 1
1v | p. 2
2r | p. 3
2v | p. 4
3r | p. 5
3v | p. 6
4r | p. 7
4v | p. 8
5r | p. 9
5v | p. 10
6r | p. 11
6v | p. 12
Reset ↺

3v

4r

3|4 (inner)

4v

3r

3|4 (outer)
Reset ↺

2v

5r

2|5 (inner)

5v

2r

2|5 (outer)
Reset ↺

1v

6r

1|6 (inner)

6v

1r

1|6 (outer)

Once all the sheets for a gathering are complete, gather them in the proper order in the gathering by dragging each sheet into the proper place in the gathering diagram. If you have trouble, you can click "Auto-gather" to have the sheets placed in the gathering diagram automatically. Once all the sheets are placed, click "Read" to view your work in book mode.

Gathering A6

1

2

3

4

5

6