Without it, we would not today have Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, Twelfth Night and fourteen other plays by Shakespeare. Published in 1623, Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories and Tragedies, known today as the First Folio, is one of the most influential works in publishing history. An exhibit from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. brings the First Folio to the New Mexico Museum of Art in February.
In this 30-minute program, Shakespeare scholar John F. Andrews discusses the First Folio's history and significance, and Mary Kershaw, Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art, offers a preview of the Folger Library's exhibit, First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare.
This abbreviated version of the interview with John F. Andrews aired on January 30, 2016 during KUNM's broadcast of NPR's Weekend Edition.
Click here for a full digital version of one of the Folger's First Folios.