A quite interesting look at the history of how Shakespeare has been published, how the cult of his work has developed, and book collecting. The author's writing style was light and entertaining. I don't think you have to particularly love Shakespeare to enjoy this book, but it certainly helps. ( )

What I would call a "galloping" read. Delightful. ( )

Collins travels from a London Sotheby's rare book auction, to the Folger Library to San Francisco to Tokyo to the Kent countryside, tracking and often holding Shakespeare's folios. Not all are first; he's actually tracking second, third and the first photographed facsimiles, and giving the reader a thorough history of how many people it took to save Shakespeare from becoming obscure and forgotten.
I have to stop myself from gushing, but I really looked forward to getting back to this book every time I had to lay it down. The descriptions of book auctions and the people who attend them, the book sellers and collectors who protected or made a living from folios, and especially the editors of competing editions of Shakespeare who fought over who had a better understanding of the Bard, make this a lively story. I only wish there had been a photo or two of some folios. ( )

At points the book felt like a script for a PBS special: each chapter begins with a description of a modern scene, and then the author tells us of the hidden history of that place touching upon his tales of the Shakespeare First Folios.

But perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing. The story Collins weaves is not only exceedingly fascinating, but he brings new, original material to the discussion. This is not, in other words, however well done, merely a repackaging of previously revealed information.

Whether you have an interest in Shakespeare, or just old texts, this book is highly recommended (especially in light of the recently announced plans of the Folger and the ALA to create a traveling exhibit to display a copy of the folio "at one site in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands" in 2016: https://apply.ala.org/shakespeare/guidelines). ( )

This book was a total delight! Paul Collins travels the world to try to find as many “First Folios” of Shakespeare as possible. Meanwhile he “time travels” (metaphorically) giving much information on the history of how these folios came into existence and the many people, both famous and nearly forgotten, involved. This was a Christmas gift from my husband and I highly recommend it to bibliomaniacs and Shakespeare fanatics. ( )