Mr. VVilliam Shakespeares comedies, histories & tragedies : published according to the true originall copies.
Title
Mr. VVilliam Shakespeares comedies, histories & tragedies : published according to the true originall copies.
Creator
Description
Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies, published seven years after the bard's death, compiles 36 plays written by William Shakespeare. Named the "First Folio" by scholars, it is the first collection of Shakespeare's work printed, and contained 18 previously unpublished works--The Tempest, Macbeth, and Twelfth Night among them.
Assembled by John Heminges and Henry Condell, and published by Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, the First Folio was presented by the publishers as the first authentic reproduction of Shakespeare's plays (some of which had been previously printed under dubious circumstances). Additionally, the Martin Droeshout-produced portrait in the Folio would be considered one of the few reliable images of Shakespeare, as it was approved by those who worked with him during his life.
In 1919, NYC book dealer Gabriel Wells purchased a copy of the First Folio on behalf of Colonel Charles Clifton, president of the Pierce Arrow Company. The copy, though imperfect, was described in the seller’s catalog as “probably” belonging to Samuel Gilburne, one of the actor’s in Shakespeare’s company. The basis for this claim is rather flimsy, Gilburne’s name is written next to where his name is printed in the list of “Principall Actors”. The original catalog price was $3,000.00. Henry Clay Folger (Folger Library in DC) ordered the copy only to discover it had already been sold. Folger offered to pay the buyer $6,000.00; Clifton refused indicating that he wanted to own a First Folio. Eventually Folger and Clifton arranged a swap, whereby Folger got the purported Gilburne copy and Clifton received a more-perfect copy. Folger paid Clifton $6500 for the Gilburne copy and Clifton purchased a more complete, finer copy, which sold at auction for $8,800.00. In 1926, Colonel Clifton donated this copy of the First Folio, along with the Second, Third, Fourth Folios, and the Poems to the Grosvenor Library. In 1953, the Grosvenor Library was incorporated into the newly-formed Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and in 1964 the collection would be relocated to the newly-constructed Rare Book Room at the Central Library.
Assembled by John Heminges and Henry Condell, and published by Edward Blount and William and Isaac Jaggard, the First Folio was presented by the publishers as the first authentic reproduction of Shakespeare's plays (some of which had been previously printed under dubious circumstances). Additionally, the Martin Droeshout-produced portrait in the Folio would be considered one of the few reliable images of Shakespeare, as it was approved by those who worked with him during his life.
In 1919, NYC book dealer Gabriel Wells purchased a copy of the First Folio on behalf of Colonel Charles Clifton, president of the Pierce Arrow Company. The copy, though imperfect, was described in the seller’s catalog as “probably” belonging to Samuel Gilburne, one of the actor’s in Shakespeare’s company. The basis for this claim is rather flimsy, Gilburne’s name is written next to where his name is printed in the list of “Principall Actors”. The original catalog price was $3,000.00. Henry Clay Folger (Folger Library in DC) ordered the copy only to discover it had already been sold. Folger offered to pay the buyer $6,000.00; Clifton refused indicating that he wanted to own a First Folio. Eventually Folger and Clifton arranged a swap, whereby Folger got the purported Gilburne copy and Clifton received a more-perfect copy. Folger paid Clifton $6500 for the Gilburne copy and Clifton purchased a more complete, finer copy, which sold at auction for $8,800.00. In 1926, Colonel Clifton donated this copy of the First Folio, along with the Second, Third, Fourth Folios, and the Poems to the Grosvenor Library. In 1953, the Grosvenor Library was incorporated into the newly-formed Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, and in 1964 the collection would be relocated to the newly-constructed Rare Book Room at the Central Library.
Contributor
Date
1623
Publisher
Jaggard, Isaac -1627 (Publisher of original)
Blount, Edward, active 1588-1632 (Publisher of original)
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Publisher of digital)
Rights
Digital image copyright 2023 by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Images in this collection are not to be used for any commercial purposes without the expressed written permission of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Users of this website are free to utilize material from this collection for non-commercial and educational purposes.
Relation
Digital Collections of the B&ECPL
Type
Text
Language
Identifier
RBR Eng.3 S4 1623
Coverage
Citation
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616, “Mr. VVilliam Shakespeares comedies, histories & tragedies : published according to the true originall copies.,” B&ECPL Digital Collections, accessed November 21, 2024, https://digital.buffalolib.org/document/2348.