First Folio of Shakespeare

The First Folio of Shakespeare's plays, first published in 1623 (in a printing of roughly 750 copies), is a milestone in English theatrical, literary and printing history. It contains contemporary versions - from prompters' copies as performed at the Globe Theatre - of 36 plays, 18 printed for the first time, arranged by the original editors into sections titled Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. That volume was responsible for preserving accurate copies of the masterworks of England's greatest playwright. The late Professor Hinman used photographic techniques he had developed for US Air Force intelligence during World War II to produce an authoritative text facsimile with the corrected, cleanest and clearest copies of each page. The result is this magnificent full-size photographic facsimile, an exact reproduction of the original pages, published in a second edition (September 1996) in the original large format, in a slip case. It is a revelation, and as close as you will ever get to being able to handle and study the original, at a surprisingly affordable price. Review by BONNIE FALCONER Editor's note: Bonnie Falconer was formerly editor of the Good Book Guide. (Kirkus UK)