Folger First Folio 43 has been called the “complete set” copy. It arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, with the three other 17th-century editions of the First Folio—the Second, Third, and Fourth Folios. The four Folios were sold together twice before Henry and Emily Folger purchased all of them as a set in 1906, paying $6,500 for the First Folio.
The “complete set” copy is missing its entire introduction (including the title page), the first six leaves of the first play in the volume, The Tempest, and the last five leaves of the last play in the volume, Cymbeline. All of these were replaced with facsimile leaves, which was once a common practice. This First Folio has many other defective leaves throughout its text, two of which have been replaced with handwritten facsimiles.
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Shakespeare First Folio
The First Folio is the first published collection of Shakespeare’s plays, produced seven years after his death. Learn more about this book and see inside.
About the Folger First Folios
The Folger has 82 First Folios of Shakespeare, the largest collection in the world. Explore research, discoveries, and the stories behind the books.