Shakespeare's First Folio

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

5.0

Word count: 4.5M words
Chapters: 450

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Shakespeare's First Folio by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2000

Editor's review

Shakespeare's First Folio, published in 1623, is a collection of Shakespeare's plays that stands as a key document for the study of how his texts were transmitted. The Project Gutenberg edition gives readers low-cost access to this classic version and to the original look of early modern English dramatic texts. Its value lies not in reading it straight through but in using it for reference and comparison: readers can set it against modern editions to observe differences in spelling, punctuation, and act division, and to sense how the text changed in transmission. As a historical edition, its language and layout are remote from modern books and demand patience. It suits theater lovers, students of English literature, and textual scholars for selective reading rather than linear cover-to-cover reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students of literature researching the transmission and textual variants of Shakespeare
English majors who want to encounter early modern English in its original form
Theater enthusiasts who need to consult the original act divisions and lines of Shakespeare's plays
Readers interested in the digitization of rare books and public-domain texts

Not a good fit for

Beginners new to Shakespeare who need modern annotations
General readers looking for a fluent Chinese translation
Readers who prefer light reading and do not want to adapt to old spellings

Reading tips

Do not read straight through; start with a play you know and compare it with a modern edition to see textual differences.
Learn the basic background of the First Folio before reading, and approach spelling and punctuation with an awareness of the edition.
Do not agonize over archaic spellings; focus on understanding sentence meaning and scene.
Use it alongside a guide or course, treating the e-edition as a reference tool rather than a leisure read.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this e-edition contain all of Shakespeare's plays?

The First Folio itself collects the plays assembled at the time and is not the complete works of Shakespeare. For the exact contents, check the table of contents of this e-edition before planning your reading.

Can readers with average English read it?

It is fairly challenging. The First Folio preserves early modern English spelling and punctuation, which differ markedly from modern English. Readers with average English are better off starting with a modern annotated edition and then comparing it with this version.

Is it suitable as casual reading?

Not really. It is closer to a document and a reference work; the pleasure comes from comparing versions and close reading of the text, not from continuous narrative. It works better as material for reference and research.

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About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.