{"product_id":"shakespeares-book-the-story-behind-the-first-folio-and-the-making-of-shakespeare-9781639363261","title":"Shakespeare's Book: The Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe never-before-told story of how the makers of The First Folio created Shakespeare as we know him today. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e2023 marks the 400-year anniversary of the publication of \u003ci\u003eMr William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, \u0026amp; Tragedies\u003c\/i\u003e, known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without \u003ci\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAntony and Cleopatra\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Winter's Tale\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMacbeth\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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First Folio hit the bookstalls in 1623, nearly eight years after the dramatist's death, it provided eighteen previously unpublished plays, and significantly revised versions of close to a dozen other dramatic works, many of which may not have survived without the efforts of those who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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eShakespeare's Book: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Story Behind the First Folio and the Making of Shakespeare\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 him: \"not of an age, but for all time.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eShakespeare's Book\u003c\/i\u003e tells the true story of how the makers of the First Folio created \"Shakespeare\" as we know him today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDr. Chris Laoutaris \u003c\/b\u003eis a biographer, historian, poet, Shakespeare scholar, and Associate Professor at The Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eShakespeare and the Countess: The Battle that Gave Birth to the Globe, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich was shortlisted for the Tony Lothian Prize for Biography, was an London \u003ci\u003eObserver \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year, a \u003ci\u003eDaily\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTelegraph\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Year, one of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e's \"Must-Read Books.\" Laoutaris is the recipient of the Morley Medal in English, the Ker Memorial Prize in English, and his first poetry collection, \u003ci\u003eBleed and See\u003c\/i\u003e was shortlisted for the Eric Gregory Poetry Awards. He is the Co-Chair of the \u003ci\u003eShakespeare Beyond Borders Alliance\u003c\/i\u003e and Co-Founder of the EQUALityShakespeare (EQUALS) initiative.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Pegasus Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50631805042962,"sku":"9781639363261","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e4cbfa38-48d2-4a34-b6f3-4c06338481a0.jpg?v=1732784512","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/shakespeares-book-the-story-behind-the-first-folio-and-the-making-of-shakespeare-9781639363261","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}