Locations of Shakespeare's First Folios
37 plays that he wrote during his lifetime (but omit all of his poems). It is called the ''First Folio'' because, although various plays of Shakespare's had been published in smaller books called "quartos" earlier, this was the first book to collect his plays and publish them in the folio format. The term folio refers to the large size of paper on which the book was printed; this type of paper was usually reserved for important documents, such as those of a theological, historical or regal nature, which alludes to the high level of prestige placed on his works. Researchers believe that around 750 copies were first published and of these, around 233 are known to still be around today.
After William Shakespeare's passing in 1616, some members of his acting troupe The Kings Men collected his plays and brought them to the publishers Edwin Blount and Issac Jaggard, who set to work making the book that would come to be known as the "First Folio". The books were first published in 1623 as "Mr. William Shakespare's Comedies, Histories and Tragedies" and contain 36 of the