A lively picture of multiple operators scrambling to steal a march on the competition. . . Lavishly detailed’

FINANCIAL TIMES

’This is Shakespearean scholarship at its best, brilliantly researched yet compulsively readable. It’s a book for our times, enduringly fascinating and appealing to both enthusiasts and the general reader. Highly recommended! ALISON WEIR

FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER

A BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

A BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

AN AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023

The year 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of Mr William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies , known today simply as the First Folio. It is difficult to imagine a world without The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and Macbeth , but these are just some of the plays that were only preserved thanks to the astounding labour of love that went into creating the first collection.

’Beautifully written and utterly compelling… comprises all the drama, intrigue and surprises of a Shakespeare play’ Tracy Borman