Shakespeare’s Book: The Intertwined Lives Behind the First Folio

Product Information

Though 1 Henry IV was almost certainly in performance by 1597, the earliest recorded performance was on 6 March 1600, when it was acted at Court before the Flemish Ambassador. Other Court performances followed in 1612 and 1625. The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments—the "taming"—until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's more tractable sister, Bianca.

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. He was born on April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His father was a successful local merchant and his mother was a landowner’s daughter.Collection of 28 of Shakespeare's works, each work accompanied by a companion volume of commentary. Published by the Folio Society. By chance, the historical disruption that inspired this book only worsened from 2017 to 2020, culminating in the outbreak of the modern plague, coronavirus. Our times were turning out to be more Shakespearean than I had anticipated. There was also this literary dividend: Shakespeare left about 1m words of poetry and prose; he also bequeathed the legacy of his influence: novels, stories and essays inspired by his work. Here is my selection. While quarto editions of some of the plays and poems were published during Shakespeare's lifetime (1564 - 1616), the first collected plays did not appear until 1623, seven years after the Bard's death. Known as the First Folio, the 36 plays in Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies were compiled by John Heminges and Henry Condell, Shakespeare's fellow actors in the King's Men, the theatrical company for which he wrote. Of the estimated 750 copies originally printed, 228 are believed still in existence, although only 40 of those remain complete. Most known copies are held by institutions - the British Library holds five copies and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. holds 82. First published in 1622 in quarto format by Thomas Walkley. Included in the First Folio the following year. The number and range of submitted titles was astonishing this year. It was definitely a bumper crop, in quantity and quality. I want to thank all the authors whose publishers submitted their books for providing such a rich and illuminating reading experience.’

Prospect Magazine " Shakespeare’s Book shines a brilliant light. Meticulously researched and compellingly conveyed, Shakespeare’s Book sits comfortably alongside the likes of Stephen Greenblatt’s Will in the World and James Shapiro’s 1599 as a Shakespeare study that manages to be edifying and entertaining in equal measure. Mr. Laoutaris brings vividly alive the many individuals involved in the Folio by way of illuminating potted biographies. His book as a whole is a richly informative account of what he calls ‘one of the most significant conservation projects in history.’” Philip Henslowe's diary records a performance of a Henry VI on 3 March 1592, by the Lord Strange's Men. Thomas Nashe refers in 1592 to a popular play about Lord Talbot, seen by "ten thousand spectators at least" at separate times. [38] He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest plays in the English language. In his later period, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Draper, John W. "The Date of Romeo and Juliet." The Review of English Studies (Jan 1949) 25.97 pp. 55–57 Shakespeare’s Book tells the true story of how the makers of the First Folio created “Shakespeare” as we know him today.

No recorded performances during Shakespeare's lifetime. [17] An adaptation was staged by Thomas Shadwell in 1678. [18] Performed before 1592, when Robert Greene parodied one of the play's lines in his pamphlet A Groatsworth of Wit. See notes for Part II and I above. An aged king divides his kingdom between two of his daughters, Regan and Goneril, and casts the youngest, Cordelia, out of his Kingdom for disloyalty. Eventually he comes to understand that it is Regan and Goneril who are disloyal, but he has already given them the kingdom. He wanders the countryside as a poor man until Cordelia comes with her husband, the King of France, to reclaim her father's lands. Regan and Goneril are defeated, but only after Cordelia has been captured and murdered. King Lear then dies of grief. The dates of the play's earliest performances are uncertain due to contradictions in the editions published in 1609.