William Shakespeare First Folio Collection

Easton Press

Thirty Nine Volumes – Complete Collection

Exceptional Condition

This is a beautiful 39 volume matching set published by the Easton Press entitled, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” that replicates the text from the First Folio. Each book measures approximately 10” x 12” and contains a color frontispiece and illustrations as well as the usual Easton Press fineries including full red leather covers, silk moiré endpapers, gold gilding and gilting and built in satin bookmarks. The condition of the set is FINE. The books are in exceptional condition and appear to have never been read. There are no markings or any other signs of previous ownership. Please note that the volume “Antony and Cleopatra” has a small white mark on the front cover and several of the volumes have very superficial marks to the gilt. This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain the complete First Folio Collection of William Shakespeare that is rarely found in such wonderful condition. The following are the list of books in the collection:

1. King Lear
   2. Titus Andronicus
   3. Twelfth Night
   4. The Taming of the Shrew
   5. The Comedy of Errors
   6. Much Ado About Nothing
   7. Antony and Cleopatra
   8. The Tempest
   9. Timon of Athens
  10. Julius Caesar
  11. Troilus and Cressida
  12. As You Like It
  13. Macbeth
  14. All's Well That Ends Well
  15. The Two Gentlemen of Verona
  16. The Winter's Tale
  17. Coriolanus
  18. The Merchant of Venice
  19. Pericles
  20. Othello
  21. Measure for Measure
  22. King John
  23. A Midsummer Nights Dream
  24. Romeo and Juliet
  25. The Poems of William Shakespeare I
  26. The Poems of William Shakespeare II
  27. Cymbeline
  28. Hamlet
  29. Love's Labour's Lost
  30. The Merry Wives of Windsor
  31. Henry the Fourth I
  32. Henry the Fourth II
  33. Henry the Fifth
  34. Henry the Sixth I
  35. Henry the Sixth II
  36. Henry the Sixth III
  37. Henry the Eighth
  38. Richard the Second
  39. Richard the Third

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".  His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry". In the twentieth century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

Photographs of the Easton Press promotion for the collection as well as a few photographs of some of the books in the collection appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the pictures are viewable as a slideshow.