The Shakespeare The word ‘folio’ A ‘folio’ edition The ‘folio’ format The Shakespeare First Folio was Unlike Jonson’s Ben Jonson wrote The First Folio ‘First Folio’ was comes from is made of was reserved for modelled on Jonson’s book, but Workes, the First two poems to was prepared by rst published in the Latin for printed sheets works of history, was printed in smaller type and Folio only printed introduce his Shakespeare’s November 1623. ‘leaf’, or ‘sheet’: that are each philosophy and in double columns. Shakespeare’s friend’s First Folio. acting colleagues FIRST folium. folded once. theology – until plays: it was John Heminge Ben Jonson’s folio as a man of the and Henry edition of his own theatre that he Condell, both FOLIO Workes in 1616. was to be chiefly of whom were remembered. remembered in Shakespeare’s 1616 will. Carefully They arranged the Histories The arrangement The First Folio’s full title reads: The word ‘folio’ appears just once in the The First Folio The other William researching by the chronology of the of the Comedies Mr. William Shakespeare’s Shakespeare First Folio: ‘I am for whole was produced members of Jaggard their collection, reigns Shakespeare had seems to follow a Comedies, Histories, volumes in folio,’ brags a character in by a syndicate the publishing was blind, Heminge and dramatized (from King John seasonal cycle, & Tragedies. Love’s Labour’s Lost. of publishers, consortium and died Condell divided to Henry VIII ) – not in the from The Tempest’s led by the were Edward a month their friend’s order of his writing them. spring-like rebirth, father-and- Blount, John before the plays into via A Midsummer son team of Smethwick, and publication three sorts: Night’s Dream, to William and William Aspley, of the First Comedies, Twelfth Night and Isaac Jaggard. all of whom had Folio. Histories, The Winter’s Tale. printed works and Tragedies. by Shakespeare in his lifetime. William The First Folio The First Folio Around half Not all the lines in Two Shakespeare Two further Eight of the First Nine separate Jaggard had replaced and collected and of these the First Folio are plays, Cardenio co-written plays, Folio’s 36 plays typesetters or owned the squashed a rival published plays had by Shakespeare: (co-written with Pericles (with were transcribed ‘compositors’ – monopoly bid – by the 36 plays by never been his co-writers John Fletcher) George Wilkins) for printing by the craftsmen on printing printer Thomas Shakespeare, printed include George and Love’s and The Two Noble the resident who assembled London Pavier in 1619 – which had before, Peele (Titus Labour’s Won, Kinsmen (with playhouse scribe, each line of the playbills to publish a been written and may Andronicus), were not included John Fletcher), Ralph Crane. First Folio into since 1615. collected edition and performed otherwise Thomas Middleton in the First Folio were omitted from individual pieces of Shakespeare’s between the never have (Timon of Athens), and are presumed the First Folio, of letter-type – plays. early 1590s survived. and John Fletcher lost forever. but published have been and 1613. (Henry VIII ). separately in identi ed. 1609 and 1634. One of the book’s Another of the Because The rst play in The rst letter of the rst word The contents Four other It is thought typesetters apprentices in corrections the First Folio spoken in the rst play in the page omits books were the First Folio’s was a teenage the Jaggards’ were made (The Tempest) First Folio was originally printed Troilus and printed on the original print- apprentice called print-shop was throughout came o upside down. Cressida, same press run amounted John Leason, called John the printing the press in for which the before the to between identi ed in the Shakespeare process, no February 1622. rights took First Folio was 750 and 1,000 pages by ‘his (no relation). two copies of longer than completed, in copies. extreme lack the First Folio expected to November 1623. of skill’. are precisely secure. identical. The First Folio In 2020, a Over 230 The biggest Previously The earliest recorded The Puritan writer The Bodleian The earliest originally copy of the copies are single collection unknown purchase of a First William Prynne Library in Oxford English retailed for First Folio thought of First Folios – copies were Folio dates from complained that owned a copy playwright about a pound was sold by to survive 82 in all – discovered 5 December 1623, ‘Shakespeare’s of the 1623 Folio, known to have (20 shillings) Christie’s in from the is owned by as recently in the account book Plays are printed but then sold it owned a copy for a bound New York original the Folger as 2014 and of a young aristocratic in the best crown after acquiring of the First copy, or 15 for nearly print-run. Shakespeare 2016. playgoer called paper, far better a Third Folio in Folio is the shillings for $10 million Library in Sir Edward Dering. than most Bibles’. 1664.* Restoration an unbound (£7.8 million). Washington, D.C. dramatist copy. William *They bought it back for Congreve. £3,000 when the same copy reappeared for sale in 1905. In 1866, The remains Many of the The great The book’s One letter in one word in The Tempest The First Folio has The last word spoken one collector of one copy of great eighteenth- eighteenth- frontispiece, has been magni ed 200 times in a been described in the last play commissioned the First Folio, century editors century actors an engraved failed attempt to establish whether it as the most of the First Folio a special casket destroyed by of Shakespeare, David Garrick, portrait of should read ‘wiſe’ (i.e. ‘wise’) or ‘wife’. important single (Cymbeline) is ‘peace’. to house her re in 1873, including Lewis John Kemble, Shakespeare book in history: copy, carved are on display Theobald, and Edmund by Martin over 140 million from a fragment in a glass Edward Capell, Kean each Droeshout, individual books of Herne’s Oak sarcophagus Thomas Hanmer, owned a copy. was printed are thought in Windsor, in the and Edmond separately, on to have been mentioned in University of Malone, owned a di erent press published since The Merry Wives Pennsylvania. their own copies. from the rest the invention of of Windsor. of the book. printing. Compiled by Nick de Somogyi. Illustrations by Denis Stubbs. Photography and design by Pete Le May. Published by Folio400 Limited © 2021 folio400.com.