quarto

quarto - n - A book size of 9.5 x 12 inches, determined by folding printed sheets twice to form four leaves or eight pages.

At least 18 of Shakespeare's plays were published in quarto editions during his lifetime. He played no role in their preparation, and he never saw a penny in royalties, which seems incredible to those who live in a time when Stephen King, Dan Brown, and John Gresham could live lives of luxury on their royalties.

The folios create a problem for Shakespeare scholars; in fact, they're probably the main reason there are Shakespeare scholars in the first place. For example, Juliet's balcony soliloquy is available in two quarto editions and the First Folio. All three versions differ slightly, which gives rise to the question, "What did Shakespeare actually write?" Moreover, these plays were scripts for actors, so there's the next question, "What was finally recited on stage?" This is probably yet another never-ending story.