Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies

In 1921 the Bulletin of the New York Public Library deemed Shakespeare’s First Folio to be “the greatest of all English books,” noting that “collectors have always aspired to own it.” The Library’s collection of First Folios includes copies previously owned by William Astor (who purchased his copy in 1849), James Lenox, and Samuel J. Tilden. They all donated their copies to the Library between 1870 and 1898. The Bulletin describes this copy, which Lenox purchased in 1855, as the Library’s “most celebrated copy” because it has an extra title page. The title page shown here appears to be dated 1622—the year the book was first announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair, although it was not published until November 1623. However, backlighting reveals that the date has been tampered with, possibly in the early 19th century: the second “2” appears to have been made by overlaying paper to obscure the lower portion of the printed “3,” and then overwriting in ink.