Beschreibung:

Shakespeare, William The Life and Death of King John London: Printed by Tho. Cotes, 1632 Folio (308 x 216 mm). 1-22pp. Expertly bound to style in paneled calf, covers tooled in blind, upper cover gilt lettered. From Shakespeare's second folio Shakespeare's famed four folios comprise the first four editions of his collected plays, all printed in the 17th century. The second folio of 1632, like the first folio of 1623, contains 36 plays. It is estimated that fewer than 1,000 copies of the second folio were printed and fewer than 200 copies are in existence today. The Life and Death of King John tells the story of King John who reigned from 1199 to 1216. John seized the throne from his nephew Arthur, and goes to war with France after refusing the prior King's demand that Arthur assume his position. Thus both militaries and families battle to the end in this timeless play. The Shakespeare Folios have "an aura of book magic about them. For a bibliophile it is a volume devoutly to be wished for and rarely attained; to a library it is a crowning jewel of a collection. Shakespeare, indeed, is a name to conjure with. No lengthy explanations are needed; he is simply the most distinguished author in the English language" (Wolf). REFERENCESTC 22274a; Greg III:1113-1116; Jaggard 496; Pforzheimer 906; Wolf, Legacies of Genuis 36Condition reportCondition as described in catalogue entry. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The