"The most widely used electronic version of the plays—the Globe Edition (1864)—is over a century old, and I believe the Folger Editions will take its place as the electronic edition of record for Shakespeare's plays."
— Michael Witmore
Director, Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library, in co-operation with Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce the release of the texts of its celebrated Folger Shakespeare Editions. The texts of the plays themselves, minus glosses, notes and interpretive material, will be available free for non-commercial use. Full Folger e-editions, with glosses and interpretative material, are currently for sale at the Simon & Schuster website.
"The Folger Editions are a landmark in textual editing: produced to the highest standards of scholarship, they have been a trusted source for Shakespeare's texts since their introduction in 1992,” explains Folger Director Michael Witmore. “We are delighted that we will soon make the complete text of every play, minus interpretive apparatus, available to anyone with a web connection. The most widely used electronic version of the plays—the Globe Edition (1864)—is over a century old, and I believe the Folger Editions will take its place as the electronic edition of record for Shakespeare's plays."
The #1 Shakespeare text used in American classrooms, the Folger Editions are designed to make Shakespeare's plays and poems available to all readers. They provide accurate texts in modern spelling and punctuation. Completely re-edited, each text is based directly on what the editors, Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, consider the best early printed version of a particular play, poem, or collection of poems.
The most popular of Shakespeare's plays will be available by the end of the summer of 2012. All of the plays will be posted by the end of 2013.
The availability of the Folger Editions texts opens up a range of uses, including online editions, classroom use, apps, scholarly research, and data mining.
Developers, editors, teachers, and others wishing to use the Folger Editions text should contact folgertexts@folger.edu.
About Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is a world-class center for scholarship, learning, culture, and the arts. It is home to the world’s largest Shakespeare collection and a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750). The Folger is an internationally recognized research library offering advanced scholarly programs in the humanities; an innovator in the preservation of rare materials; a national leader in how Shakespeare is taught in grades K–12; and an award-winning producer of cultural and arts programs—theater, music, poetry, exhibitions, lectures, and family programs. By promoting understanding of Shakespeare and his world, Folger Shakespeare Library reminds us of the enduring influence of his works, the formative effects of the Renaissance on our own time, and the power of the written and spoken word. A gift to the American people from industrialist Henry Clay Folger, the Folger Shakespeare Library—located one block east of the U.S. Capitol—opened in 1932. Learn more at www.folger.edu
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