- description
- # Publisher’s misuse of Shakespeare’s name.
## Overview
This section is a subsection within the chapter titled "PERICLES" and is extracted from the file `pdf-01KG6Q7Q25RHMFT3SJXPV18VFF.txt`. It focuses on the instances where publishers fraudulently used Shakespeare's name on works he did not write. The text spans lines 13751 to 13761 within the source file.
## Context
This section is part of the chapter [PERICLES](arke:01KG6S4D9MD59KJ70ZSS7J97J8), which is included in the collection [PDF Workflow Main Test 2026-01-30T00:26:53](arke:01KG6NWQ2H2K4PGG7H4ZHYCZ3Y). The chapter discusses various aspects of the play *Pericles*, including Shakespeare's alleged authorship and the misuse of his name by publishers. This section follows the section titled "[Shakespeare’s alleged authorship.](arke:01KG6S5QA7GSDY2E7P2Z32VJDM)" and precedes the section titled "[Shakespeare’s share in Pericles.](arke:01KG6S5QA71HCF3MQQFB49APZT)"
## Contents
The section details how publishers falsely attributed works to Shakespeare to increase sales. It mentions specific examples, including *The Passionate Pilgrim* (1599), *Locrine* (1595), *Lord Cromwell* (1602), *The Puritaine* (1607), *The first part of the true & honourable history of the life of Sir John Oldcastle, the good Lord Cobham* (1600), *The London Prodigall* (1605), and *A Yorkshire Tragedy* (1608). The text argues that Shakespeare had no involvement in these plays, and the use of his name was a deliberate tactic to deceive readers. It also discusses the play *Pericles* and its relation to the publisher's practices.
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- Publisher’s misuse of Shakespeare’s name.
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- Publisher’s misuse of Shakespeare’s name.
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12
PERICLES
name on volumes with which he had no concern. Apart from the poetic anthology called *The Passionate Pilgrim* (1599), which was described on the title-page as ‘by William Shakespeare’, the initials ‘W. S.’ had been fraudulently paraded on the title-page of the play *Locrine* as early as 1595, and they had reappeared with no greater justification on the title-pages of the plays, *Lord Cromwell* and *The Puritaine*, in 1602 and 1607 respectively. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s full surname had adorned the title-pages of no less than three plays for which others were responsible. In 1600 *The first part of the true & honourable history of the life of Sir John Oldcastle, the good Lord Cobham*, which was printed for T. P. (i. e. Thomas Pavier), bore the words on the title-page, ‘Written by William Shakespeare.’ Five years later a comedy entitled, *The London Prodigall*, which was printed by T. C. for Nathaniel Butter, bore on its title-page the words, ‘By William Shakespeare.’ Finally, in 1608, the year in which *Pericles* was licensed for the press, *A Yorkshire Tragedy* was ‘printed by R. B. for Thomas Pauier’, and bore on the title-page the words, ‘Written by W. Shakespeare.’ That Shakespeare had any hand in any of these six pieces to which his initials or his full name were attached may be confidently denied. The introduction of his name was a publisher’s device, and was intended to deceive the unwary.
The assignment of the whole play of *Pericles* to Shakespeare in 1609 was a transaction in the vein of the publisher of *The Passionate Pilgrim*. It was less reprehensible than such ventures as *Locrine*, *Lord Cromwell*, *The Puritaine*, *Sir John Oldcastle*, *The London Prodigall*, and *A Yorkshire Tragedy*, because there is good evidence that while Shakespeare had no hand in full two-thirds of the piece, he and he alone was responsible for the remaining one-third. The greater part of Acts iii and v and some portions of Act iv may without much hesitation
- title
- Publisher’s misuse of Shakespeare’s name.