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Shakespeare's Book: The Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare
The never-before-told story of how the makers of The First Folio created Shakespeare as we know him today.
2023 marks the 400-year anniversary of the publication of Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Tempest , Twelfth Night , Antony and Cleopatra , The Winter’s Tale , and Macbeth , but these are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labor of love that was the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays.
When the First Folio hit the bookstalls in 1623, nearly eight years after the dramatist’s death, it provided eighteen previously unpublished plays, and significantly revised versions of close to a dozen other dramatic works, many of which may not have survived without the efforts of those who backed, financed, curated, and crafted what is arguably one of the most important conservation projects in literary history.
Without the First Folio Shakespeare is unlikely to have acquired the towering international stature he now enjoys across the arts, the pedagogical arena, and popular culture. Its lasting impact on English national heritage, as well as its circulation across cultures, languages, and media, makes the First Folio the world’s most influential secular book. But who were the personalities behind the project and did Shakespeare himself play a role in its inception?
Shakespeare’s The Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare charts, for the first time, the manufacture of the First Folio against a turbulent backdrop of seismic political events and international tensions which intersected with the lives of its creators and which left their indelible marks on this ambitious publication-project. This story uncovers the friendships, bonds, social ties, and professional networks that facilitated the production of Shakespeare’s book—as well as the personal challenges, tragedies and dangers that threw obstacles in the path of its chief backers.
It reveals how Shakespeare himself, before his death, may have influenced the ways in which his own public identity would come to be enshrined in the First Folio, shaping his legacy to future generations and determining how the world would remember "not of an age, but for all time."
Shakespeare’s Book tells the true story of how the makers of the First Folio created “Shakespeare” as we know him today.
2023 marks the 400-year anniversary of the publication of Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Tempest , Twelfth Night , Antony and Cleopatra , The Winter’s Tale , and Macbeth , but these are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labor of love that was the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays.
When the First Folio hit the bookstalls in 1623, nearly eight years after the dramatist’s death, it provided eighteen previously unpublished plays, and significantly revised versions of close to a dozen other dramatic works, many of which may not have survived without the efforts of those who backed, financed, curated, and crafted what is arguably one of the most important conservation projects in literary history.
Without the First Folio Shakespeare is unlikely to have acquired the towering international stature he now enjoys across the arts, the pedagogical arena, and popular culture. Its lasting impact on English national heritage, as well as its circulation across cultures, languages, and media, makes the First Folio the world’s most influential secular book. But who were the personalities behind the project and did Shakespeare himself play a role in its inception?
Shakespeare’s The Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare charts, for the first time, the manufacture of the First Folio against a turbulent backdrop of seismic political events and international tensions which intersected with the lives of its creators and which left their indelible marks on this ambitious publication-project. This story uncovers the friendships, bonds, social ties, and professional networks that facilitated the production of Shakespeare’s book—as well as the personal challenges, tragedies and dangers that threw obstacles in the path of its chief backers.
It reveals how Shakespeare himself, before his death, may have influenced the ways in which his own public identity would come to be enshrined in the First Folio, shaping his legacy to future generations and determining how the world would remember "not of an age, but for all time."
Shakespeare’s Book tells the true story of how the makers of the First Folio created “Shakespeare” as we know him today.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2023
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September 23, 2024Enormously detailed account of the publishing and literary world that existed in Shakespeare's time. Hugely researched and as such, significantly too detailed for me as a general-interest reader.
May 8, 2024
This was fascinating—a deep dive into the conception and execution of Shakespeare’s First Folio, in many ways an unprecedented project and the first link in the chain that cemented Shakespeare’s lasting reputation.
The scholarship of Laoutaris is evident and so is his enthusiasm for his subject matter. Having read pretty deeply in Shakespeare scholarship, it was exciting to have so much new and interesting information to chew on. While I knew, for example, that without the First Folio, many of what we would consider archetypal Shakespeare plays would have been lost—including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest—I had no previous knowledge of, to take another example, the Herbert brothers, the dual dedicatees of the First Folio, whose political leanings and court positions were so influential both in the King’s Men’s success and in the formulation and publication of Shakespeare’s works. There is a wealth of truly fascinating information to dig through and consider.
At the same time, this is extremely dense and also includes a fair amount of speculation. Laoutaris’s theorizing is clearly signposted, but portions felt unwarranted to include given their lack of substantiation at this time, despite being intriguing possibilities. I felt, too, that there wasn’t a clear enough throughline of argument tying the book together for my taste. On top of being hard to keep track of an enormous dramatis personae, many of whom share given and family names across numerous variations, there isn’t quite enough narrative thrust to help hold the threads of the scholarship together in an easily digestible way.
For students and enthusiasts of Shakespeare, this is a great volume to pick up, but definitely not for the more casual reader or Shakespeare fan.
The scholarship of Laoutaris is evident and so is his enthusiasm for his subject matter. Having read pretty deeply in Shakespeare scholarship, it was exciting to have so much new and interesting information to chew on. While I knew, for example, that without the First Folio, many of what we would consider archetypal Shakespeare plays would have been lost—including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest—I had no previous knowledge of, to take another example, the Herbert brothers, the dual dedicatees of the First Folio, whose political leanings and court positions were so influential both in the King’s Men’s success and in the formulation and publication of Shakespeare’s works. There is a wealth of truly fascinating information to dig through and consider.
At the same time, this is extremely dense and also includes a fair amount of speculation. Laoutaris’s theorizing is clearly signposted, but portions felt unwarranted to include given their lack of substantiation at this time, despite being intriguing possibilities. I felt, too, that there wasn’t a clear enough throughline of argument tying the book together for my taste. On top of being hard to keep track of an enormous dramatis personae, many of whom share given and family names across numerous variations, there isn’t quite enough narrative thrust to help hold the threads of the scholarship together in an easily digestible way.
For students and enthusiasts of Shakespeare, this is a great volume to pick up, but definitely not for the more casual reader or Shakespeare fan.
June 29, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved learning more about the book publishing industry in the Stuart era.
I loved learning more about the book publishing industry in the Stuart era.
April 11, 2023
This book is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare's First Folio. I have an interest in anything to do wth Shakespeare as I live close to both Shakespeare's birthplace and the theatre where his plays are performed. I have also seen a copy of,[ but not touched], the First Folio.
Chris Laoutaris is a Shakespearian schlor so I was very interested in learning about how the First Folio was produced and who was involved in its publication
The book was written in an easy style is both a fascinating and well researched book. It portrays the historical, political and literary situation of Elizabethian England and in the midst of this debates how the Folio was brought about by Shakespeares two friends Heminges and Condell and whether Shakespeare himself had anything to do with its inception before his death. It explores how copyrights were obtained to the plays and the problems with Jaggard's the publisherrs.
Overall it is an original and highly enttertaining book
Chris Laoutaris is a Shakespearian schlor so I was very interested in learning about how the First Folio was produced and who was involved in its publication
The book was written in an easy style is both a fascinating and well researched book. It portrays the historical, political and literary situation of Elizabethian England and in the midst of this debates how the Folio was brought about by Shakespeares two friends Heminges and Condell and whether Shakespeare himself had anything to do with its inception before his death. It explores how copyrights were obtained to the plays and the problems with Jaggard's the publisherrs.
Overall it is an original and highly enttertaining book
January 26, 2026
This was well done. Very interesting and I liked the combination of book as technology v book as social gathering.
June 15, 2023
I am in awe of the amount of research that has gone into this book. The author builds a detailed picture of all the people involved in the publication of Shakespeare's First Folio and the political and religious climate of the period in which it was compiled.
There are some wonderful little details and lots of little rabbit holes to go down, but there is also an awful lot of details about rather tedious things. There are so few concrete facts about Shakespeare that when the author uncovers something, however slight, it all ends up in the book. For me, the facts should shape an interesting narrative, but too often, here the minutiae becomes the narrative.
This feels like a well written PhD. thesis, and in a book of 516 pages the notes begin on page 358!
I really need to find a book now that looks more at the Folio itself rather than its creation, and I really need to read more about Burbage!
All in all, there's much to admire here, but it's not the easiest read.
There are some wonderful little details and lots of little rabbit holes to go down, but there is also an awful lot of details about rather tedious things. There are so few concrete facts about Shakespeare that when the author uncovers something, however slight, it all ends up in the book. For me, the facts should shape an interesting narrative, but too often, here the minutiae becomes the narrative.
This feels like a well written PhD. thesis, and in a book of 516 pages the notes begin on page 358!
I really need to find a book now that looks more at the Folio itself rather than its creation, and I really need to read more about Burbage!
All in all, there's much to admire here, but it's not the easiest read.
November 11, 2023
A highly enjoyable read about publishers, printers and players who worked to publish, and thus preserve for us all, one of the most important books in literary history.
Chris teaches at the Shakespeare Institute where I was luck enough to study a few years ago, and thus had access to an amazing array of scholars and scholarship. The book, however, is extremely accessible to a general reader and really helps bring the personalities to life. A timely publication in the year of the First Folio's 400th birthday.
Chris teaches at the Shakespeare Institute where I was luck enough to study a few years ago, and thus had access to an amazing array of scholars and scholarship. The book, however, is extremely accessible to a general reader and really helps bring the personalities to life. A timely publication in the year of the First Folio's 400th birthday.
October 1, 2024
As noted earlier: I used to teach a section of English Composition that could have been called Intro to Literature, if that was how the instructor identified it. I usually included The Tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, amongst the literature we would cover. Even more rarely, a student would ask a question that has vexed literary scholars and conspiracy theorists for centuries: Did William Shakespeare really write all of those plays? Or did someone else write them and attribute them to William Shakespeare? I responded that Shakespearian works, like sacred texts, passed through many hands before they became the versions that people read today/ Many hands mean many voices, many of which undoubtedly did their own editing or revising, for various reasons. That is why textual scholars detect different voices when studying the works of the Bard. Shakespeare's Book supports that theory (although I'm sure the author wrote it for better reasons than for bailing me out).
I read another book earlier this summer based on the same premise: What was the impetus behind the publication of what is now called the First Folio, the very first printed and published collection of Shakespeare's plays? Readers had best pack a lunch, because they're bound for an earful. Among the ideas discussed:
--It was the death of Richard Burbage, the foremost actor of his day, most well known for his performances of Shakespeare's most immortal characters, that jump-started the idea.
--The last two surviving members of the King's Men, the theatrical troupe to which Shakespeare belonged, are popularly credited with the effort behind the accumulation, but many more forces were behind the effort.
--It was a mistake to think that the First Folio was born strictly out of a desire to preserve Shakespeare's treasures--numerous political and economic influences lurked behind the effort.
--It took multiple efforts over several years to assemble the plays, edit them, typeset them, and print them.
--Scholars of the first folio can identify some of the scribes and even the typesetters behind the printing.
And so on. Only strongly motivated readers should attempt this book. It took me nearly a month to read it, because I needed time plus an atmosphere that enabled me to concentrate on the text. Readers will learn about the relationships between the artistic influences of the day, and how they had an impact on both the book and upon each other. This constitutes a fascinating look at history, but it is also bone-dry at times. For all that, I was surprised to learn that many of my assumptions about Shakespearian plays were correct, which made the density of the text worth the decoding for me.
--
I read another book earlier this summer based on the same premise: What was the impetus behind the publication of what is now called the First Folio, the very first printed and published collection of Shakespeare's plays? Readers had best pack a lunch, because they're bound for an earful. Among the ideas discussed:
--It was the death of Richard Burbage, the foremost actor of his day, most well known for his performances of Shakespeare's most immortal characters, that jump-started the idea.
--The last two surviving members of the King's Men, the theatrical troupe to which Shakespeare belonged, are popularly credited with the effort behind the accumulation, but many more forces were behind the effort.
--It was a mistake to think that the First Folio was born strictly out of a desire to preserve Shakespeare's treasures--numerous political and economic influences lurked behind the effort.
--It took multiple efforts over several years to assemble the plays, edit them, typeset them, and print them.
--Scholars of the first folio can identify some of the scribes and even the typesetters behind the printing.
And so on. Only strongly motivated readers should attempt this book. It took me nearly a month to read it, because I needed time plus an atmosphere that enabled me to concentrate on the text. Readers will learn about the relationships between the artistic influences of the day, and how they had an impact on both the book and upon each other. This constitutes a fascinating look at history, but it is also bone-dry at times. For all that, I was surprised to learn that many of my assumptions about Shakespearian plays were correct, which made the density of the text worth the decoding for me.
--
August 10, 2023
This is a very interesting account of all of the people, political pressures, cultural features, available technology, legal ramifications, and economic considerations that shaped the making of the First Folio of Shakespeare's works. This is a very esoteric study, and if you are not interested in historical minutia, you will not be interested in this book; however, I can recommend it highly for anyone who is interested in the far-reaching details of Shakespeare's life and works. For one thing: this book, if nothing else has already, will put to bed any ridiculous notion that Shakespeare didn't write the works of Shakespeare: it was so much trouble to get this thing created and to market that there's just no possible way anyone would have done it for a fake. The men who worked on this project knew Shakespeare and knew him for the playwright. (I never doubted it, and I'm sure non-believers won't believe a word of this, but there it is.) The other thing that this book accomplishes beautifully is how much we owe (as fans of literature and theater) to the existence of the Folio. Without it, many, perhaps most, of Shakespeare's plays would likely have been lost and he wouldn't be seen as the great genius of English theater that he is seen to be now.
April 26, 2023
Chris Laoutaris had the interesting idea of bringing together the various people and events that went towards the creation and publication of the First Folio. He tells the story clearly and keeps our attention without much resort to over dramatisation (although there are a few irritating moments, such as a ‘trembling’ Shakespeare amending his will). I don’t think there is anything here which really counts as original (unsurprisingly) and Laoutaris probably over-hypes his claim about the importance of the death of Burbage as a pivotal moment but I mostly enjoyed this light read. There are many, many plates of the First Folio included. For all I know they have been fantastically reproduced in the printed copy but as usual in the ebook version low quality images have been slung in without much care.
November 8, 2023
By happy accident I finished this book today - 8 November 2023, on the 400 year anniversary of the publication of the First Folio.
The amount of research that must have gone into such a comprehensive piecing together of the Jacobean publishing industry is staggering. Everyone who was or might have been involved in the very collective endeavour of publishing Shakespeare's plays, and elevating them to the status of "Workes" in the process, is discussed. There's also a sort of subplot going on in the background, consisting of the matrimonial plans of the future Charles I, which may have subtly affected the book.
Although I wasn't entirely convinced, I found this historical context interesting and I loved the story of how London partied when Charles returned from Spain, having failed to secure a bride.
The amount of research that must have gone into such a comprehensive piecing together of the Jacobean publishing industry is staggering. Everyone who was or might have been involved in the very collective endeavour of publishing Shakespeare's plays, and elevating them to the status of "Workes" in the process, is discussed. There's also a sort of subplot going on in the background, consisting of the matrimonial plans of the future Charles I, which may have subtly affected the book.
Although I wasn't entirely convinced, I found this historical context interesting and I loved the story of how London partied when Charles returned from Spain, having failed to secure a bride.
October 15, 2023
Shakespeare’s First Folio celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2023, and I confess that most of what I know about its creation I learned from Lauren Gunderson’s play The Book of Will, the 2017 stage comedy that depicts the efforts of King’s Men actors John Heminges and Henry Condell to gather and publish all of Shakespeare’s plays in one extraordinary volume. Happily, I can now report that Shakespeare’s Book, Chris Laoutaris’s handsome and informative new nonfiction account of the same events, confirms that Gunderson got much of it right.
To read the rest of my review, go to my essay at the Folger Shakespeare Library's "Shakespeare & Beyond" blog. https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespe...
To read the rest of my review, go to my essay at the Folger Shakespeare Library's "Shakespeare & Beyond" blog. https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespe...
August 29, 2023
While not technically an academic publication, this is a pretty scholarly look into the complex issues that surrounded the publication - precisely 400 years ago - of what we now refer to as Shakespeare's First Folio. I was totally unaware of how publishing rights were obtained and recorded in 1623, and now understand why this was such a difficult book to bring to the public.
Of note is that there's currently a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition taking place here in Pittsburgh, where Carnegie-Mellon University's copy of the First Folio (one of only 233 that survive world-wide) is being displayed along with three other lesser-known folios published in 1632, 1663, and 1685.
Of note is that there's currently a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition taking place here in Pittsburgh, where Carnegie-Mellon University's copy of the First Folio (one of only 233 that survive world-wide) is being displayed along with three other lesser-known folios published in 1632, 1663, and 1685.
February 22, 2026
An interesting look at Shakespeare’s First Folio. The author explores the world of the actors, printers, booksellers and patrons who were behind its production; the connections between them ; and the political events that were occurring at the time. There is some fascinating information about the actual printing of the book including the work of the compositors, but I got a little lost in some of the detail. The author also admits to quite a lot of speculation including whether Shakespeare had been thinking about some kind of volume like the First Folio before his death. An informative read.
May 9, 2023
A book on a fascinating topic, unfortunately undone by poor writing. Far too much detail on peripheral topics, overwhelming amount of unimportant detail everywhere, and such lack of organization you find the same information presented three times within a few pages. For me,regrettably, an unreadable book that I had hoped would be un-putdownable.
October 14, 2023
Laoutaris did exhaustive research in writing this book, and there were many details I found fascinating. Unfortunately, he was not so skilled at presenting a coherent narrative, and there were many points in the book I became completely lost among the many names and political and financial machinations. Certainly worth it for the Shakespeare devotee.
April 15, 2023
Fascinating bit of history. I think I really enjoyed the section about the technical aspects the most. The actual typesetters and putting the pages together. Highly recommended for Shakespeare boffins.
May 24, 2023
Well-written, readable, and thoroughly researched narrative of the development and printing of one of the world’s great treasures — Shakespeare’s plays. It must be said that without the valiant work of John Heminges and Henry Condell, several of Shakespeare’s greatest plays would have been lost.
April 11, 2023
The most comprehensive look into the creation of the First Folio I've ever read.
May 1, 2023
interesting at times, but pretty dull in places.
May 3, 2023
Academic, dry at times, but packed with evocative detail and impressive research, One of several books for this anniversary year of the First Folio.
December 30, 2023
Disappointing. Too much of the book started with maybe or possibly and then was something inconsequential. Maybe so and so once met so and so.
July 22, 2024
Excellent and readable history that gives insight on Shakespeare, his works, and the environment that he worked in.
Want to Read
September 23, 2025RK EXAMIONED 250923 WATCH FOR IN AUDIBLE
October 8, 2025
Learned alot, and was sucked in by the details of 17th cent printing. The names come thick and fast, and some of the later theories (Shakespeare's role in the folio, particularly) are a bit thin.
February 14, 2024
Very interesting subject matter undeniably, but at times a bit bogged down by dense historicity. Still, it could at times be very gripping when Laoutaris got into the flow of scene and setting. I particularly found the business side of the project fascinating to read about, as well as the King James court drama. Could've had a better overall flow to the reading, especially towards the ending, but still worth reading once for anyone at all curious.
Edit from early 2024: So I wrote this review only shortly after finishing it and I initially rated it 3 stars, but I'm putting it down now as a 4.5 (and rounding up for my score). I don't firmly believe that the value of a book comes merely from the pleasure had while reading—in the best of books, there's much pleasure in reflecting as its contents steep inside you over time, and that's how I feel about Shakespeare's Book by Chris Laoutaris. The content, if sometimes executed rockily, is still very engaging. Anyone who is even slightly interested in the inner workings of literature in the Jacobean era could get something out of this book. And they will find more than they bargained for. Laoutaris did his research and there is much to show for it. Long read or not, it's a worthwhile time investment, and his style or presentation sits with you, even if not every chapter is so action-packed—neither is life, and it's good to sit and breathe in it. Definitely one of my favorite nonfiction books I've read in the last year, and I do plan on keeping it so I can reread it again someday.
Edit from early 2024: So I wrote this review only shortly after finishing it and I initially rated it 3 stars, but I'm putting it down now as a 4.5 (and rounding up for my score). I don't firmly believe that the value of a book comes merely from the pleasure had while reading—in the best of books, there's much pleasure in reflecting as its contents steep inside you over time, and that's how I feel about Shakespeare's Book by Chris Laoutaris. The content, if sometimes executed rockily, is still very engaging. Anyone who is even slightly interested in the inner workings of literature in the Jacobean era could get something out of this book. And they will find more than they bargained for. Laoutaris did his research and there is much to show for it. Long read or not, it's a worthwhile time investment, and his style or presentation sits with you, even if not every chapter is so action-packed—neither is life, and it's good to sit and breathe in it. Definitely one of my favorite nonfiction books I've read in the last year, and I do plan on keeping it so I can reread it again someday.
July 11, 2024
One of the reviews said something like "this book is a must for everyone even remotely interested in Shakespeare." Well, you need to know more than just 'something' about Shakespeare's life and works and the Elizabethan theater in order to fully enjoy this book. Just being remotely interested in the Bard is not enough, in my humble opinion, because there are several references to people, professions and historical events that you have to know. I am an English teacher and the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages are a special passion of mine, but if you are not very familiar with the periods (for example, what on Earth was the Spanish match?), take the time to make a little research. Apart from that, I loved "Shakespeare's Book." The style was engaging and all the anecdotes made the subject matter really come to life. St. Paul's in London is very different today from what it was in the 17th century, but there are several helpful illustrations. The stories of the members of the First Folio syndicate are fascinating and the historical background puts the Folio in a new light.
I definitely recommend reading "Shakespeare's Book" for the depth of the research and also the fantastic bibliography (I have already ordered two books from it); however, it would help to read Greenblatt's "Will in the World" or another excellent Shakespeare's biography before plunging in this book. If you live in Washington D.C. (lucky you!), go to the Folger Shakespeare's Library to see an original First Folio, for me it was an unforgettable experience.
I definitely recommend reading "Shakespeare's Book" for the depth of the research and also the fantastic bibliography (I have already ordered two books from it); however, it would help to read Greenblatt's "Will in the World" or another excellent Shakespeare's biography before plunging in this book. If you live in Washington D.C. (lucky you!), go to the Folger Shakespeare's Library to see an original First Folio, for me it was an unforgettable experience.
July 18, 2024
An in-depth exploration of the creation of the First Folio.
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