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Book/Printed Material The First Folio of Shakespeare. Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies

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About this Item

Title

  • The First Folio of Shakespeare.

Other Title

  • Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, & tragedies. Published according to the True Originall Copies

Summary

  • Printed in the large "folio" size, the First Folio is the first collected edition of the plays of William Shakespeare. It was put together after his death in 1616 by two fellow actors, John Heminge and Henry Condell, and was published in 1623. The book contains the complete text of 36 of Shakespeare's plays. The principal publishers were Edward Blount (1565--1632), a London bookseller and publisher, and Isaac Jaggard (died 1627), son of William Jaggard (circa 1568--1623), a printer and publisher long associated with Shakespeare, who died the year the folio was produced. How many copies of the First Folio were printed is unknown, but the edition most likely was quite small: probably no more than 750 copies. The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC holds 82 copies of the First Folio, about a third of those still in existence, and by far the largest collection in the world. Presented here is copy 68 of this collection.

Names

  • Blount, Edward, flourished 1588-1632 Printer.
  • Droeshout, Martin, born 1601 Engraver.
  • Jaggard, Isaac, died 1627 Printer.
  • Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 Author.

Created / Published

  • London : [publisher not identified], 1623.

Headings

  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland--England
  • -  1623
  • -  Drama

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 455 pages, irregular pagination : 1 portrait (engraving) ; 34 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Folger Shakespeare Library.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021666879

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Blount, Edward, Flourished Printer, Martin Droeshout, Isaac Jaggard, and William Shakespeare. The First Folio of Shakespeare. [London: Publisher Not Identified, 1623] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666879/.

APA citation style:

Blount, E., Droeshout, M., Jaggard, I. & Shakespeare, W. (1623) The First Folio of Shakespeare. [London: Publisher Not Identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666879/.

MLA citation style:

Blount, Edward, Flourished Printer, et al. The First Folio of Shakespeare. [London: Publisher Not Identified, 1623] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666879/>.