Pigskin, Puzzles, and the Shakespeare Folios of Washington
Shakespeare’s First Folio isn’t just a book—it’s a survivor of print chaos, legal wrangling, and collector intrigue. When it debuted in 1623, it gathered 36 of the Bard’s plays, including 20 that had never seen print. The printing process was anything but smooth: type was reset, plays shuffled, and the order changed as publishers navigated rights disputes. Out of 750 original copies, only 235 are known to exist today, with Washington, D.C. holding a remarkable share thanks to the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress boasts two First Folios, each with its own twist. One, once owned by Dr. Richard Wright, traveled through centuries and auctions before landing in a conservation-grade box, its original calfskin binding preserved alongside new pigskin covers. The other, donated by John Davis Batchelder, is a patchwork of two incomplete folios, with a pasted-in title page and a colorful, possibly invented backstory. Both volumes reveal how even literary treasures can be shaped by the ambitions and quirks of their keepers—proof that every masterpiece has its own backstage drama.
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