Description

Book Synopsis
The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible.

Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters? lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as in, an actor?s role) and passed around, but no master script was saved for the future. The main reason we?ve heard of Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare himself is that a group of people made the excellent choice to preserve the plays after the Bard died. If they hadn?t created the book known as the First Folio, Shakespeare and his works would surely have been lost to history.

Part literary scavenger hunt (the search for every existing First Folio continues today), part book trivia treasure trove, and part love letter to Shakespeare, this behind-the-scenes, sharply funny true story is an ideal introduction to the Bard and his famous plays.

The Bard and the Book

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    RRP £17.99 – you save £1.80 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Fri 19 Jun 2026.

    A Hardback by Ann Bausum

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      Publisher: Peachtree Publishers,U.S.
      Publication Date: 4/2/2024
      ISBN13: 9781682634950, 978-1682634950
      ISBN10: 1682634957

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible.

      Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters? lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as in, an actor?s role) and passed around, but no master script was saved for the future. The main reason we?ve heard of Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare himself is that a group of people made the excellent choice to preserve the plays after the Bard died. If they hadn?t created the book known as the First Folio, Shakespeare and his works would surely have been lost to history.

      Part literary scavenger hunt (the search for every existing First Folio continues today), part book trivia treasure trove, and part love letter to Shakespeare, this behind-the-scenes, sharply funny true story is an ideal introduction to the Bard and his famous plays.

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