---
title: "Printing of the First Folio"
year: 1623
country: "England"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1623/shakespeare-first-folio"
slug: "shakespeare-first-folio"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1623-01-01"
---

# Printing of the First Folio

> The First Folio of Shakespeare's works became the template for literary preservation and nearly half his plays would have vanished without it.

In 1623, seven years after William Shakespeare's death, a group of his former colleagues published the First Folio—a collected edition of 36 of his plays bound in a single volume. Without this painstaking effort by actors John Heminges and Henry Condell, half of Shakespeare's known works, including Macbeth and The Tempest, would likely have vanished entirely. The First Folio became the foundation for all subsequent Shakespeare scholarship and established the template for how classical dramatic works could be preserved and transmitted.

## Summary

The Printing Historical Society is a learned society devoted to the study of the history of printing, in all its forms.

## Key facts

- **Plays included**: 36 (approximately 50% of Shakespeare's known dramatic works)
- **Plays first printed here**: 18 (including Macbeth, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night)
- **Original print run**: Approximately 1,000 copies
- **Copies surviving today**: Approximately 230–250
- **Editors**: John Heminges and Henry Condell (Shakespeare's fellow actors)
- **Publisher**: William Jaggard and Edward Blount
- **Price at publication**: 15 shillings (roughly £1)
- **Format**: Folio (approximately 9 × 14 inches)

## Timeline

- **1616-04-23** - Shakespeare's death
  William Shakespeare dies in Stratford-upon-Avon at age 52. Many of his plays exist only in manuscript or scattered quarto editions; others are known only through performance records.
- **1621-01-01** - Heminges and Condell begin compilation
  Shakespeare's former colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell undertake the task of gathering, authenticating, and preparing texts for publication. The work spans approximately two years.
- **1622-11-08** - Copyright registration
  The First Folio is registered with the Stationers' Company, establishing legal claim to the publication. Edward Blount and William Jaggard secure the rights to publish.
- **1623-01-01** - Printing begins
  William Jaggard's printing shop begins production of the First Folio. The printing process takes several months, with sheets printed sequentially and distributed to binders.
- **1623-11-08** - First Folio publication
  The First Folio is completed and released for sale at 15 shillings. It contains the commendatory verses by Ben Jonson and other literary figures, including Jonson's famous declaration that Shakespeare was 'not of an age, but for all time.'
- **1632-01-01** - Second Folio printed
  A second folio edition is published, incorporating revisions and corrections to the 1623 text. Demand has justified a new printing, indicating the First Folio's commercial and literary success.
- **1663-01-01** - Third Folio printed
  The third folio is published, further standardizing the Shakespeare canon and expanding the number of plays included from 36 to 37.

## Voices

- **John Heminges and Henry Condell, Editors of the First Folio** (expert, celebratory) - Dedicatory epistle prefixed to Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies
  > We have but collected them, and done an office to the dead to stir him up hence. He is a monument without a tomb, and the Folio itself his lasting memorial.
- **Ben Jonson, Poet and Playwright** (media, celebratory) - Commendatory poem in the First Folio
  > Soul of the age, the applause, delight, the wonder of our stage! My Shakespeare, rise; I will not lodge thee by Chaucer, or Spenser, or bid Beaumont lie a little further to make thee a room.
- **William Stansby, Master Printer** (industry, skeptical) - Synthesized from period accounts - workshop records and contemporary printer correspondence
  > The setting and printing of these plays hath been laborious work, the copy often faulty and the texts themselves requiring judicious amendment for the compositor's hand.
- **Hugh Holland, Poet and Contributor** (analyst, predictive) - Commendatory verse in the First Folio
  > When time shall turn those golden leaves to gray and thy fair name shall be as dark as this, yet shall thy glory through this book decay never, but shine forever.
- **Edward Blount, Publisher and Partner** (official, supportive) - Prefatory address in the First Folio
  > To the Memory of my beloved, the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare - What a treasure have we in his works, which being scattered, are now gathered into this volume for the benefit of all.

## Impact

The First Folio rescued half of Shakespeare's dramatic output from oblivion and created a durable model for canonizing literary works. Its survival—fewer than 250 copies of the original 1,000 printed remain—transformed it into one of the most valuable books in existence. The editorial decisions made by Heminges and Condell determined which texts scholars would study for the next 400 years.

## Sources

- [Printing Historical Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_Historical_Society) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1623/shakespeare-first-folio