On November 8th in 1623, the First Folio was registered at Stationer’s Hall near the publishing district around St Pauls Cathedral in London. It was actually called:
Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies
It was put together by his actor friends, John Heminge and Henry Condell seven years after his death. They wanted to replace all the corrupt editions of his plays and poems that had been:
“stol’n and surreptitious copies, maimed and deformed by frauds and stealths of injurious impostors”
The true texts of his plays and poems “are now offer’d to your view cured, and perfect of their limbes; and all the rest, absolute in their numbers as he conceived them.” Wikipedia
Shakespeare at the Frankfurt Book Fair
In fact, the plays were ready earlier than 1623, as they entered into the catalogues for the Frankfurt Book festival to appear between April and October 1622. How amazing is it that the Frankfurt Book festival is still the dream of any aspirant writer? Wikipedia tells me that hand-written books were traded at the general trade fair in Frankfurt from the 12th Century. But 1462 is the date that appointed as being when the Book Fair was certainly established.
The First Folio offers plenty of proof that Shakespeare was the author of the plays. He left gold rings of remembrance to Heminge and Condell in his Will. They were part of his Players Company, and had worked together on many of the plays. The Folio has forewords by people extolling the virtues of the writer. Enough proof for any reasonable person.
Heminge and Condell
Heminge and Condell are commemorated in the Garden of St Mary Aldermary behind the Guildhall. They were Churchwardens of St Mary. A few streets away lived William Shakespeare in 1611. True friends, so don’t go telling me he didn’t write the plays!
There was a wonderful BBC festival of Shakespeare on in 2023/24 to celebrate. If you look at this link, here. You will find great content. Much of it is available if you search BBC Sounds, or BBC iPlayer.
Visit my post on Shakespeare’s Birthday here.
On This Day
International Intersex Day
Intersex Day of Remembrance, also known as Intersex Solidarity Day, is an internationally observed civil awareness day. (Wikipedia).
First Published November. 2023, revised November 2024, 2025
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