Henry and Emily Folger acquired this First Folio in 1898 for only $561. While that is not the lowest purchase price for a First Folio in the Folger collection, it was still considered a bargain. This copy is the fourth First Folio that the Folgers acquired.
An early reader altered and added stage directions to The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Cymbeline. (Alterations to stage directions were also made in Folger First Folio 50.)
The original title page and four other leaves in the introduction are missing. These, as well as two leaves in the book’s final play, Cymbeline, were replaced with printed facsimile leaves. Original leaves from other First Folios took the place of another 16 missing leaves.
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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.