Sir William Fitzherbert acquired the First Folio in 1780. The family kept the book for many generations, until Henry and Emily Folger purchased it at a Sotheby’s auction in 1924 for $7,400.
Like Folger First Folio 58, this First Folio has the rusty outline of an early pair of scissors on its pages. Very few of this First Folio’s leaves are missing, however. Aside from the scissors, it has been left relatively untouched by later owners, unlike most First Folios that survive today.
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Scissors inside books?
The rusty outline we showed in last week’s Crocodile post is, as one of our responders, Giles Bergel, correctly guessed, from a pair of scissors. It appears in Folger First Folio number 58, in Henry IV, part 1 (pp. 50-51). This First Folio…
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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.