Shakespeare, William

Folio (12 5/8 x 8 1/2 in.; 322 x 212 mm). Engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout on title-page, ornamental woodcut initials and head- and tail-pieces. Collation: A^{6 *4}; A–Z Aa–Bb⁶ Cc²; a–y⁶; aa–zz aaa–ccc⁶ ddd⁴: 454 leaves. ccc⁶ bound before ccc¹; lightly washed with remains of extensive contemporary manuscript annotations on bb3r, qq6r, vv1r and aaa6v, title-page skillfully inlaid without loss, title and preceding leaf of Ben Jonson's verses "To the Reader" lightly browned and a bit spotted (these two leaves likely supplied), A3–5 extended, A5 also remargined at bottom, large portion (49 x 112 mm) of blank upper fore-edge corner of *4 replaced, other mostly minor and marginal repairs to N2, c2, l3, bb5, hh2, bbb3, ddd4, pp5 slightly shorter (by 3 mm). Nineteenth-century dark green morocco, covers gilt-paneled, spine gilt in six compartments, marbled endpapers, gilt edges; extremities a bit rubbed.

Alexander Beresford Hope (bookplate); Edwin Booth (signature). 

Greg III 1113–115; STC 22274e; Pforzheimer 906; cf. Todd, "The Issues and States of the Second Folio and Milton's Epitaph," in Studies in Bibliography 5 (1953): 81–108

Second Folio edition, first issue, of Shakespeare's collected works, "Incomparably the most important work in the English language"; from the library of Edwin Booth, the "Prince of Players."

The Second Folio is a page-for-page resetting of a corrected copy of the First Folio, 1623. The chief addendum to the work is Milton's anonymous verses, "An Epitaph on the admirable Dramaticke Poet, W. Shakespeare," his first appearance in print.

As William Todd's classic study demonstrates, only the true first issue was published in 1632. Variant settings of its title-page imprint give the names of each of the five shareholders in the edition: John Smethwick, Robert Allot (who had the largest share), William Aspley, Richard Meighen, and Richard Hawkins (as here). According Todd, this copy is the first issue—Imprint setting "B, If." In 1641 and after, remainder sheets were sold in two further issues, distinguished by two resettings of sheet A2.5, containing both the title-page (retaining the now-false date of 1632) and the leaf with Milton's poem.

Edwin Booth was one of the dominant figures in American theater; to his Shakespearean roles of Hamlet, Othello, Iago, and Brutus he brought, in the words of Stephen Archer, “imagination, intuitive insight, spontaneous grace, intense emotional fervor, and melancholy refinement.” His style, which entranced his audiences (one contemporary critic regretted that Shakespeare could not see Booth play Hamlet) served as a vital transition from the furious and passionate romanticism of Edmund Kean and his father, Junius Brutus Booth, to the realism that would define the twentieth.

Booth’s interest in owning a Folio of Shakespeare’s works is evidenced by the careful treatments he gave his productions and by his restoration of Shakespeare’s own texts to the stage: his company abandoned such popular adaptations as Colley Cibber’s version of Richard III and Nahum Tate’s King Lear for Shakespeare’s own. Booth’s tours introduced the Bard to audiences across the nation, from Washington, D.C., to Sacramento and from Boston to New Orleans. He also played in Hawaii, Australia, and Europe. Booth was also an important theatrical manager, who eventually established his own theater in New York City. Settled in New York, Booth founded The Players, a men’s club for actors and other creative luminaries. From 1888 until his death in 1893, Booth lived in a private apartment at The Players and directed its operation. Booth boldly signed this copy, with paraph, on the front blank, "Edwin Booth | The Players."

Edwin Booth had two actor brothers, Junius Brutus, Jr., and John Wilkes, Abraham Lincoln’s assassin. Edwin thought he would have to retire from the stage after Lincoln’s murder, but when he assayed a return the following year he was warmly welcomed back by his audience. The three Booth brothers played on stage only once together: a November 1864 performance of Julius Caesar at the Winter Garden Theater. This was a benefit to raise funds for a statue of Shakespeare in Central Park. Junius played Cassius; John Wilkes, Mark Antony; and Edwin, Brutus.

A magnificent association copy of Shakespeare's Second Folio.