William Jaggard facts for kids

William Jaggard (born around 1568, died November 1623) was a famous printer and publisher in England during the time of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. He is best known for his work with the plays of William Shakespeare. His most important project was printing the first collection of Shakespeare's plays, called the First Folio. Jaggard's printing shop was located in an area of London called Barbican. Its sign was "the Half-Eagle and Key."

Life as a Printer and Publisher

William Jaggard's father, John Jaggard, was a barber-surgeon in London. William started learning the printing trade in 1584. He became an apprentice to a printer named Henry Denham. After eight years, in 1591, William became a full member of the Stationers Company. This was a powerful group for people in the book business.

Over time, Jaggard built one of the biggest printing shops of his era. His son, Isaac Jaggard, later helped him. Isaac took over the business when his father died in 1623. In those days, people in the Stationers Company were usually either printers or booksellers. Printers made the books, and booksellers sold them. Booksellers often decided which books to publish and then hired printers to print them.

However, William Jaggard and his son did both printing and publishing. For example, they printed the First Folio and were also partners in selling it. Printers who published their own books often needed a place to sell them. Jaggard's books were often sold by Matthew Lownes. His shop was in St. Paul's Churchyard, which was the main center for selling books in London.

William Jaggard became very important in his job. In 1611, he became the official Printer to the City of London. When the Stationers Company decided to create a list of all English books published in 1618–19, Jaggard was chosen to print it. William's brother, John Jaggard, was also a printer and publisher. He had the rights to print the Essays by Sir Francis Bacon. John published these books, and William printed them.

Jaggard printed many different kinds of materials. These included popular songs called ballads, like Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and William of Cloudesle (1610). He also printed books by writers such as Richard Barnfield and John Davies of Hereford. Today, book collectors know Jaggard for printing Edward Topsell's The History of Four-Footed Beasts (1607) and The History of Serpents (1608). These books are famous for their beautiful pictures. The quality of the Topsell books shows that Jaggard's company could do excellent work.

William Jaggard and Shakespeare

In 1608, Jaggard bought the business of James Roberts. Roberts was an older printer who had strong connections to Shakespeare's plays. Roberts had printed early versions of plays like Titus Andronicus and Merchant of Venice in 1600. He also printed Hamlet in 1604. Roberts also had the special right to print the flyers that acting groups used to advertise their shows. Jaggard wanted this same right, and he finally got it in 1615.

Jaggard was involved with Shakespeare's works for about twenty years. This started when he published a collection of poems called The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599. He put Shakespeare's name on it, even though some of the poems might not have been by Shakespeare. Jaggard printed a bigger version of this book in 1612. In 1619, Jaggard was also involved in something called the False Folio affair. This was a confusing situation where he printed several Shakespeare plays together, but they were not the official collection.

From 1621 to 1623, Jaggard's printing shop worked on the huge task of printing the First Folio. This book was the first official collection of Shakespeare's plays. Some people have wondered why John Heminges and Henry Condell chose Jaggard for this important job. These two men were actors from Shakespeare's company, the King's Men. They collected the plays for the First Folio. Some experts believe they chose Jaggard because his shop was large enough to handle such a big project.

Later Life and Legacy

William Jaggard's health got worse in the last ten years of his life. By the time the First Folio was being printed, he was old, sick, and blind. So, his son Isaac must have done most of the actual work on the book. William Jaggard died in November 1623, just before the First Folio was published.

It is hard to have one simple opinion about Jaggard. Some people say he was generally a good printer. They believe he only seemed less ethical when dealing with Shakespeare's work. Others have had harsher opinions about him.

A descendant of William's brother John, named Captain William Jaggard (1867–1947), opened a printing and bookselling business in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1909. This town was Shakespeare's birthplace. Captain Jaggard's business was called the Shakespeare Press. He also created a very large book called the Shakespeare Bibliography in 1911.