'Shakespeare and the Implications of Paratextual Attribution'

In 1598, Shakespeare's name first appeared - unambiguously - on the title pages of printed playbooks, with the second editions of 'Richard II' and 'Richard III', both published by Andrew Wise, and the first extant edition of 'Love's Labour's Lost', published by Cuthbert Burby. These paratextual attributions have generated considerable critical interest and are often used to suggest the increasing status of commercial drama and of Shakespeare's position as the most published professional dramatist at the end of the sixteenth century. From these brief considerations - specifically, the concentration of Wise's output, the association between Wise, George Carey, and the Chamberlain's Men, the timing of the publications and Stationers' Register entries, and the consistency in printed presentation - the Shakespearean attributions in the Wise quartos can be seen as pointing towards a patronage network that has influenced the selection and presentation of these plays in print, as well as our understanding of the relationship between published texts and wider performance repertories