Thomas Heyes was the publisher-bookseller who published the first quarto edition of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

’s ''

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...

'', in London, in 1600. He traded from 'St Paul’s Churchyard at the sign of the Green Dragon’. Merchant venice tp

The Shakespeare Connection

Thomas Heyes' right to publish Shakespeare's work is well attested. There is an entry in the ''

Stationers' Register The Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including print ...

'' dated 28 October 1600:

Thomas Haies. Entred for his copie under the handes of the Wardens and by Consent of Master Robertes. A booke called the booke of the Merchant of Venyce.

Based on the precise wording of this entry (“A booke called the booke…”), it has been concluded that the edition published by Heyes was an official prompt book. The book was printed by ‘I.R.’, the same James Roberts who had consented to its publication. Roberts was the printer of the playbills for Shakespeare’s theatre company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Roberts had earlier secured the conditional rights to the play, registered by the

Company of Stationers The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in ...

on 22 July 1598:

James Roberts. Entred for his copie vnder the handes of bothe the wardens, a booke of the Marchaunt of Venyce or otherwise called the Jewe of Venyce Prouided that yt bee not prynted by the said James Robertes or anye other whatsoeuer without lycense first had from the Right honorable the lord Chamberlen.

Thomas Heyes left the copyright for this work to his son, Lawrence, in his will when the latter was only a boy. The copyright for ''Merchant of Venice'' was adjudged to ‘Lavrence Heyes’ in full court on 8 July 1619. Proving this copyright was probably prompted by the publication of the

False Folio False Folio is the term that Shakespeare scholars and bibliographers have applied to William Jaggard's printing of ten Shakespearean and pseudo-Shakespearean plays together in 1619, the first attempt to collect Shakespeare's work in a single v ...

edition by

William Jaggard William Jaggard ( – November 1623) was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays. Jaggard's shop was "at t ...

earlier that year. Lawrence published the third quarto edition of ''Merchant of Venice'' in 1637, to be sold at his shop in Fleetbridge. The copyright was later transferred from Bridget Hayes and Jane Graisby to

William Leake William Leake, father (died 1633) and son (died 1681), were London publishers and booksellers of the late sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries. They were responsible for a range of texts in English Renaissance drama and poetry, including work ...

on 17 October 1657. Leake published the fourth quarto edition of ''Merchant of Venice'' in 1652.

Other information

Not much more is known about Thomas or Lawrence Heyes from other sources. In 1603 Thomas petitioned King James 1, ‘for regulations to be made to carry into effect the statute ‘23 Eliz.’, for enrolment of fines and recoveries, and that he may have the office of enrolling the same’. This statute was the 'Act against Reconciliation to Rome' and the fines were enormous: previously non-attendance at church earned a one shilling fine, but this Act raised the penalty to 20 pounds a month, with stiffer penalties for celebrating or attending Mass. Thomas Heyes also witnessed the will of the stationer Francis Coldock (1561–1603) in 1602. (Francis is recorded as the printer of a sermon for Thomas White in 1578). Francis' business adjoined that of Thomas Heyes; Francis' address is given as “Lombard Street, over against the Cardinals Hat; Green Dragon, St. Paul's Churchyard”. Thomas published a number of other works, including ''England’s Parnassus'' by

Robert Allot Robert Allot (died 1635) was a London bookseller and publisher of the early Caroline era; his shop was at the sign of the black bear in St. Paul's Churchyard. Though he was in business for a relatively short time – the decade from 1625 to 16 ...

(in 1600), in partnership with

Nicholas Ling Nicholas Ling (fl.1570–1607) was a London publisher, bookseller, and editor who published several important Elizabethan works, including the first and second quartos of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet''. Ling was the son of John Lynge, a parchment make ...

and

Cuthbert Burby Cuthbert Burby (died 1607) was a London bookseller and publisher of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras. He is known for publishing a series of significant volumes of English Renaissance drama, including works by William Shakespeare, Rober ...

. His son Lawrence appears to have published only one other work, ‘The worming of a mad dogge’, in 1617.Kirschbaum p. 235.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyes, Thomas Publishers (people) from London