Shakespeare's First folio

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This biography focuses on the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, known as the First Folio, printed in 1623. It begins with the tale of its first purchaser in London and examines how people have engaged with this iconic book over four centuries. The narrative emphasizes what individual copies reveal about their diverse histories, showcasing evidence of their varied contexts through ink blots, annotations, and other marks of use. This study provides fresh insights into Shakespeare's reception and the evolution of the book itself. Unlike previous scholarly works, it does not delve into the book's origins, textual provenance, or production details. Instead, it narrates the histories of individual copies worldwide, focusing on their bindings, marginalia, condition, sales history, and location. The exploration revolves around five key themes: owning, reading, decoding, performing, and perfecting. Ultimately, this work chronicles the book that solidified Shakespeare's posthumous reputation, highlighting the interactions among owners, readers, forgers, collectors, actors, scholars, booksellers, and the book that shapes our understanding of Shakespeare.