Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Facsimile  
William Shakespeare, introduction by Adrian S. Edwards  and Tanya Kirk 
 
Published to mark the 400th anniversary of the book’s  original publication 
This facsimile edition faithfully reproduces one of the finest  copies held in the British Library collections 
Of the 750 copies that were originally published, some 200  exist today. The British Library has five copies, one of which  is complete, and it is this copy that is presented
 
About this Title 
Published to mark the 400th anniversary of the book’s original publication, this facsimile edition faithfully reproduces one of the finest copies held in the British Library collections. 
 
The significance of the First Folio cannot be underestimated. It is the only contemporary source of eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays. Without it, performances of such popular plays as The Tempest, Twelfth Night and  Macbeth would not be possible. 
 
Changes and corrections were made during the long printing process. Small alterations were also made to the  (now iconic) portrait of Shakespeare created by Martin Droeshout for the title page. As a result, no two surviving copies of the First Folio are identical and few are complete.  Of the 750 copies that were originally published, some 200 exist today. The British Library has five copies, one of which is complete, and it is this copy that is presented with an introductory booklet by curators Adrian S Edwards and Tanya Kirk.
 
Facsimile casebound in real cloth with  slipcase 
ISBN 97807123 5429 5 
912 pages, 327 x 208 mm 
Colour facsimile reproduction