The Shakespeare First Folio: The History of the Book: Volume I: An Account of the First Folio Based on its Sales and Prices 1623-2000(The Shakespeare First Folio)

The Shakespeare First Folio is arguably the greatest book ever written in the English language, and it is the only source for half the plays (including Macbeth and The Tempest). Vast amounts have been written on it up to its publication - for example on its printing and proofreading - but very little since it left the press in 1623. And yet its story is a highly significant contribution to the history of the book worldwide, and crucial to the study of Shakespeare's 'afterlives'. The present volume breaks new ground in its account of the price and sales history of the books - from one pound in the seventeenth century to over half a million pounds today - placing this in the context both of Shakespeare's standing and of the contemporary world of antiquarian book sales. It charts the number and distribution of copies at the beginning and end of the twentieth century, surveys the nineteen facsimile editions since 1807, and assesses earlier listings of the work since 1824, including Sidney Lee's Census (1902). It also indicates the history of the volumes' ownership - ranging from counry parson to President of Standard Oil.

Table of Contents:
Stanley Wells: Foreword General Preface Preface to Volume I List of Tables List of Charts List of Illustrations Abbreviations and References Short Titles 1: Sales and Prices of First Folios: A History from 1623 to the Present 2: The Number and Distribution of First Folios Worldwide, 1902 and 2000 3: A Survey of First Folio Facsimiles since the Early 19th Century 4: Listings of the First Folio since the Early 19th Century Concordances of Lee/West and West/Lee copy numbers List of Manuscripts and Printed Works Consulted Index

Review :
`The contribution West's book makes to our knowledge of this freak of bibliographic, literary and economic history is enormous.' London Review of Books, November 15 2001 `a magisterial study of the posthumous history of a book . . . Dr West's enterprise is comparable in scope to that of the compilers of the Folio itself. . . . his monumental study forms a major contribution to the shelf of volumes essential to the Shakespeare scholar.' Stanley Wells, Foreword to Volume I `From Volume I 'a magisterial study of the posthumous history of a book . . . Dr West's enterprise is comparable in scope to that of the compilers of the Folio itself. . . . his monumental study forms a major contribution to the shelf of volumes essential to the Shakespeare scholar.'' Stanley Wells, Foreword to Volume I