Henry Folger's obsessive hunt for Shakespeare's first folio
When Shakespeare died in 1616, no one, including the playwright, thought that his writings would last, that he was a genius, or that he would be celebrated as the greatest author in the history of the English language. Seven years after his death, copies of his plays and manuscripts were gathered, edited, and thirty-six of them were published in a book format. This massive book was called the the First Folio, and was only intended as a memorial, but it later became one of the most important books ever published and became a coveted prize among collectors, many of whom would do almost anything to obtain a copy.
