Book, shakespeares first folio, letterpress, ink on paper, printed by isaac jaggard and edward blount, london, 1623. The portrait of shakespeare on the title page of the first folio was engraved by martin droeshout but probably commissioned by william jaggard, one of the books publishers and the owner of the shop where it was printed. The first folio is the first collected edition of william shakespeares plays, collated and. See peter blayneys the first folio of shakespeare folger 1991 and linked below for an overview of this, charlton hinmans the printing and proofreading of the first folio of shakespeare clarendon p, 1963 for a detailed explanation of such changes, and eric rasmussen and anthony james wests the shakespeare first folios. Copper engraving of shakespeare by martin droeshout. Glasgow university library special collections shakespeare first folio. Published in folio form seven years after the playwrights death by isaac iaggard and edward blount, and overseen by shakespeare.
The first folio is the first printed collection of all of shakespeares plays, assembled by two of his buddies after he died. Nine years after the first folio, the second folio was printed, which reflected the continuing interest in the playwrights work. On those occasions when the shakespeare first folio, the 1623 first printing in folio format of the collected works of william shakespeare, is placed on display, it is generally shown in splendid isolation as one of the great treasures of the library. First folio of shakespeare the norton facsimile by. List of most expensive books and manuscripts droeshout portrait. Without it, plays like macbeth and twelfth night might not have survived. The artist behind shakespeares most famous portrait jstor daily. It is the major source for contemporary texts of his plays. Our series of events marking the quatercentenary of shakespeares death culminates in a public lecture on shakespeares first folio by a leading world expert, professor emma smith hertford college, oxford, author of shakespeares first folio. The two images which have always informed our image of shakespeare were created after his death. The droeshout portrait or droeshout engraving is a portrait of william shakespeare engraved by martin droeshout as the frontispiece for the title page of the first folio collection of shakespeare s plays, published in 1623. The droeshout portrait on the title page in foliomania. English drama english poets renaissance theater shakespeare portrait first folio title page playwright book publishing play houses sir william davenant, operator of the first playhouse opened after the restoration, was also a playwright and an epic poet.
It is considered one of the most influential books ever published. It contains the same plays as the first folio, but was also the first attempt at a systematic edit of shakespeares plays. First folio publication of shakespeares plays britannica. The folio is so famous that one copy is getting its own 2016 tour, and the portrait of shakespeare that graces its front page is one of the most famous representations of the man himself. The publication of drama in the early 17th century was usually. It is, therefore, no mere poetic hyperbole that the upcoming 2016 national tour of the first folio is called first folio. The portraits of shakespeare are constantly under discussion. Apr 25, 2016 shakespeares portrait from the fourth folio, including ben jonsons poem to the reader 1685. Printed in folio format and containing 36 plays see list of shakespeare s plays, it was prepared by shakespeare s colleagues john heminges. The portrait of shakespeare on the title page of the first folio was engraved by martin droeshout but probably commissioned by william jaggard, one of the.
The book that gave us shakespeare is offered by the american library association ala public programs office, in collaboration with the folger shakespeare library and cincinnati museum center cmc. The first folio was a commercial success and was followed only nine years later by the second folio, published in 1632 and providing a pagebypage reprint of the first. The july book of the month is glasgow universitys copy of the first folio. The artist behind shakespeares most famous portrait. Shakespeare wrote around 37 plays, 36 of which are contained in the first folio. This is erin blake, curator of art, here to talk about the different states of the droeshout portrait of shakespeare. Published in 1623, the first folio not only the first collection of shakespeares plays but also the first folio book in england devoted exclusively to drama contains 36 works considered to be wholly or in part by the bard. Shakespeare first folio discovered on scottish island. The copper printing plate that martin droeshout engraved was touched up twice during the printing of the first folio in 1623 and once more for the fourth folio 62 years later. Folger shakespeare library rouben mamoulian collection library of congress original title page selected, with portrait, reads. Title page of the first folio, by william shakespeare, with copper.
Without the expensive and determined effort between 1621 and 1623 to print a folio edition of. Found in stomer, the book is the first compilation of the bard. William shakespeares first folio found in france in a. The portrait of shakespeare on the title page was engraved by martin. Shakespeares friends approved it, so it must have looked like him. A genuine portrait of shakespeare inlaid in a facsimile of the title page.
This wellknown portrait is the iconic image of shakespeare that appears on the title page of the first folio. Shakespeares portrait from the fourth folio, including. Folio editions were large and expensive books that were seen as prestige items. Without the first folio, 18 of shakespeares plays may have been lost. The first folio is 36 of william shakespeares plays, collected and printed seven years after the bards death. The first folio grouped shakespeares playsfor the first timeinto comedies, histories and tragedies and featured a portrait of shakespeare thats now accepted as an authentic image of him. One of the essential books of english literature and culture, the justly famous first folio of shakespeares plays, a fullsize photographic facsimile that has won the admiration of actors and scholars throughout the world.
Published in folio form seven years after the playwrights death by isaac iaggard and edward blount, and overseen by. Its preliminary including the titlepage with the famous droeshout portrait of shakespeare. First folio, first published edition 1623 of the collected works of william shakespeare, originally published as mr. The portrait itself, with shakespeares by 1623 unfashionable elizabethan ruff, pudding face, and lopsided hair, has not. The droeshout portrait or droeshout engraving is a portrait of william shakespeare engraved by martin droeshout as the frontispiece for the title page of the first folio collection of shakespeares plays, published in 1623. The first folio also holds the droeshout portrait, one of only two portraits unambiguously identified as shakespeare. By the time shakespeare died, he had written at least 38 plays and more than 150 poems. The july book of the month is glasgow universitys copy of the first folio edition of the collected plays of william shakespeare, published in 1623 some seven years after shakespeares death. According to the german academic, one portrait, possibly painted around 1594, when the poet was about 30 years old, depicts shakespeare as a young london playwright and author of sonnets who has. The first folio is the first printed collection of shakespeare s plays, published in 1623, seven years after his death. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of shakespeares death in 2016, the. Perhaps the most famous evidence of the bards accomplishments is the 1623 first folio, the book that collected his plays in book form for the first. Photo facsimile pages produced from the first folios in the folger shakespeare library in washington d. The first folio is the first collected edition of william shakespeare s plays, collated and published in 1623, seven years after his death.
It is one of only two works of art definitively identifiable as a depiction of the poet. The story of the first folio, she says, usually focuses on the literary genius of shakespeare, but the survival of his plays depended on the practical skills of the people who produced this book. Eighteen of shakespeares plays were printed in quartos books about half the size of a. Ingenuity didnt have limits when it came to fixing a first folio. The first folio of shakespeare by william shakespeare. Widely known as the first folio, it is one of only six. Shakespeare was not the first author to have his collected works published in folio format. Shakespeares first folio is a modern term applied by scholars to one of the worlds most famous books, mr. Shakespeare s friends and fellow actors john heminge and henry condell assembled the 36 plays. The present copy of the second folio also contains the iconic portrait of shakespeare by droeshout estimate. Hence, folio number 33 has a genuine portrait of shakespeare inlaid into a facsimile title leaf. His prodigious output included poems, sonnets, history plays, tragedies and comedies. When it was published in 1968, the norton facsimile set a new standard for scholarly accuracy. This text is facing droeshouts portrait of shakespeare prefixed to the first folio.
According to a census of surviving first folios, glasgows copy is class ii b, being in fair condition, but. Shakespeare s first folio is a modern term applied by scholars to one of the worlds most famous books, mr. Shakespeares first four folios sell at auction for almost. Facsimile first folio shakespeare bauman rare books. The book the first folio presents us with a person, a personality, through his work. Instead, the first half of this book is an easytoread history about the publishing of different editions of shakespeare s plays from 1623 to the late 18th century. Droeshouts engraving of shakespeare on the title page of the first folio. The poet, actor and playwright william shakespeare is one of the worlds most celebrated cultural figures, and it is perhaps appropriate that this painting was the first to be presented to the newly founded national portrait gallery in 1856. This folio edition includes an original picture selection captioned by burgess himself, offering careful and thoughtful insight into shakespeares world. The book marked the first time that macbeth had been printed.
Columbias copy, a part of the 1881 bequest of stephen whitney phoenix, is no exception, although over the decades it has been shown to a. Learn more about this remarkable bookand the folgers collection of first folios, the largest in the world. 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. Without the first folio, 18 plays might have been lost forever. The book now known as the first folio the first authoritative edition of shakespeares plays established shakespeare for all time and it. We need not repine at the lack of a satisfactory shakespeare portrait. Weve assembled a playlist of seven shakespeare unlimited podcast episodes about the first folio without this first collected edition of shakespeares works, published in 1623, we might not have such famous plays as macbeth or the tempest. Shakespeares first folio to be sold at auction in new. Looking at the first folio of william shakespeare in the facsimile edition published by norton. The image from the title page of the first folio is called the droeshout portrait because it was made by martin droeshout. The tour is made possible in part by a major grant from the national endowment for the humanities. Four centuries of an iconic book 2016 and the making of shakespeares first folio 2015. The book was published in 1623, seven years after shakespeares death, and contains a dozen. Scarce first facsimile edition of the landmark first folio, in contemporary full calf.
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