Overview
It begins with the story of its first purchaser in London in December
1623, and goes on to explore the ways people have interacted with this
iconic book over the four hundred years of its history. Throughout the
stress is on what we can learn from individual copies now spread around
the world about their eventful lives. From ink blots to pet paws, from
annotations to wineglass rings, First Folios teem with evidence of its
place in different contexts with different priorities. This study offers
new ways to understand Shakespeare's reception and the history of the
book. Unlike previous scholarly investigations of the First Folio, it is
not concerned with the discussions of how the book came into being, the
provenance of its texts, or the technicalities of its production.
Instead, it reanimates, in narrative style, the histories of this book,
paying close attention to the details of individual copies now located
around the world - their bindings, marginalia, general condition, sales
history, and location - to discuss five major themes: owning, reading,
decoding, performing, and perfecting. This is a history of the book that
consolidated Shakespeare's posthumous reputation: a reception history
and a study of interactions between owners, readers, forgers,
collectors, actors, scholars, booksellers, and the book through which we
understand and recognise Shakespeare.