Collections and Critiques

One of the most valuable books owned by Harvard University, the first folio of the works of William Shakespeare, is included in the exhibition of Shakespeare Folios and source books in the Widener Memorial Room.

The First Folio was formerly owned by Frederick Locker-Lamson, the English poet, and contains most of Shakespeare's works. The frontispiece bears an engraving of the great dramatist, as do all of the first four Folios. This engraving has always been an object of ridicule by those who hold to the theory that Bacon wrote the works accredited to Shakespeare. These Baconians claim that the picture is nothing more than a mask, a back, and two left arms. Ben Jonson, however, according to all true Shakespearians, refutes this definitely in his verse which accompanies in his verse which accompanies the engraving. Jonson says:

"It was for gentle Shakespeare cut, Wherein the Graver had a strife With Nature to outdo the life."

Spurious Plays

The Second Folio, published in 1632, contains the names of the foremost actors in the plays, Shakespeare heading the list. The Third, printed in 1664, claims to present seven hitherto unpublished works "according to true original copies." Six of these are spurious, however, and only one, "Pericles, Prince of Tyre, is Shakespeare's. The others, which include such plays as he "Yorkshire Tragedy" and the "Puritan Widow" are by authors unknown today.

The Fourth Folio on view, published in 1685, has the original leather binding, darkened almost to a mahogany color by age.

The source books in the display include such works as Holinshed's Chronicles, edition of 1577, the Countess of Pembroke's own copy of Sidney's "Arcadia," with original bindings, the Florrio Translation of Montaigne's Essays, and Boccaccio's "Decameron," published in 1620.