4 hundred years in the past, a small band of William Shakespeare’s loyal mates and fellow thespians launched into the difficult problem of bringing his full works collectively in a single sure quantity. Whether or not it was an act of affection and respect or a money-making enterprise is unknown.
However with out the First Folio, revealed in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s loss of life, half his performs could be misplaced. Now on this quatercentennial 12 months, institutional and personal homeowners of First Folios will make their copies obtainable to be considered by the general public throughout the UK and Eire.
A web site devoted to “one of many nice wonders of the literary world” tells the story of the First Folio and logs the houses of the surviving 235 copies, together with 5 within the possession of the British Library. Solely 56 are full copies, with most lacking a few of their unique pages.
The British Library will maintain an exhibition this 12 months, and a function movie with a screenplay by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman is in manufacturing. Two books, The Making of Shakespeare’s First Folio and Shakespeare’s First Folio: 4 Centuries of an Iconic E book, each by Emma Smith, a professor of Shakespeare research at Oxford College, will probably be revealed subsequent month.
Marcus Coles, conceiver of the challenge, says the folios are ‘the closest we are able to get to his unique writing’. {Photograph}: Sarah Lee/The Guardian
Marcus Coles, a former businessman behind the web site who says he developed an “obsession” with the First Folio after an opportunity go to to the Globe theatre in London, mentioned the sure collections of Shakespeare’s work have been “the closest we are able to get to his unique writing”.
In Shakespeare’s day, performs have been written to be carried out, and infrequently printed – and because of this many have been misplaced. However in 1616, the 12 months of Shakespeare’s loss of life on the age of 52, his buddy and rival Ben Jonson revealed a set of his personal poems and performs in folio format.
Shakespeare’s three associates from the King’s Males appearing firm, John Heminges, Henry Condell and Richard Burbage, set to work on a compilation of the Bard’s performs. Eighteen had been printed however one other 18 existed solely as annotated handwritten copies or immediate books.
The trio took the edited scripts to a revered printing store the place compositors copied them into metallic sort. Many errors have been made, and since paper was so expensive the errors survived. The title web page of the First Folio was a portrait of Shakespeare made by engraving very positive strains right into a sheet of copper.
The printing course of was “very labour intensive in a really nasty working setting”, mentioned Coles, however by November 1623 they have been able to go on sale.
First the 18 unpublished performs needed to be signed off by the “grasp of revels” at Stationers’ Corridor within the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral. The unique register, nonetheless saved on the corridor, data “Grasp William Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies”, together with The Tempest, Twelfth Night time, and Antony and Cleopatra.
About 700 to 750 copies of the First Folio have been produced. Some have been sure with the pores and skin of calf, sheep or goat, costing a sovereign, however most have been left unbound. The goal market was “discerning and rich theatregoers”, based on Coles.
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A replica of the First Folio is displayed at Christie’s in London, January 2020. {Photograph}: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Of the surviving copies, 50 are within the UK and 149 within the US. It took “a very long time to turn into a e-book of worth”, mentioned Coles, however a pristine copy, with all its unique leaves intact, fetched almost $10m at public sale in 2020.
“No First Folio is identical, all of them have totally different histories and tales. However the e-book is foundational to our language. Hardly ever a day goes by whenever you don’t hear a phrase from a Shakespeare play being spoken – usually with out the speaker realising they’re quoting Shakespeare,” mentioned Coles.
Smith mentioned: “With out the First Folio, we might have a few of Shakespeare’s performs, scattered in particular person editions. However we wouldn’t have the sense of significance, weight (actually), and permanence that this huge quantity provides to the writer.
“With out this e-book and the best way it has preserved and solidified his repute, we wouldn’t be quoting, performing, educating, arguing about Shakespeare as we speak.”
Six presents to the English language from Shakespeare
