How can a book tell its own life story?
This account of the 1623 edition of Shakespeare's collected plays does just that. Emma Smith traces the story of individual copes of the First Folio across time and space to understand what it has meant to its various owners and users. One person's secular relic kept in an ornamental casket is for another some spare paper for drawing; some copies have been worked on in a scholarly context, others can trace Shakespeare's history on the stage. Everything, from binding to grease spots, from annotations to doodles, can tell us something about how this iconic book has lived multiple lives in different contexts.
Every purchase you make supports the work of Shakespeare's Globe. Thank you!
Detail
Author: Emma Smith
Format: Paperback
Size: 250 mm x 135 mm
Pages: 258
