{"product_id":"9781608191383","title":"The Book of William: How Shakespeare's First Folio Conquered the World","description":"The first complete collection of Shakespeare's plays was almost never printed. Only the machinations of several wealthy donors and publishers brought it into existence, and even then it was practically unnoticed. Many of the original 750 copies of Shakespeare's First Folio were gone before the turn of the 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century. But a hundred years later, the greatest plays in English were rediscovered, revamped, and re-publicized, beginning the long and surprising process that secured the legacy of Shakespeare. \u003cbr\u003eBroken down into five sections, each tied to a different location and century, \u003ci\u003eThe Book of William\u003c\/i\u003e explores the curious rise of the First Folio: Frankfurt (17\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century), Fleet Street (18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century), the British Museum (19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century), the Folger Shakespeare Library (20\u003csup\u003eth\u003c\/sup\u003e century), and Meisei University of Tokyo (21\u003csup\u003est\u003c\/sup\u003e century). It recounts the book's remarkable journey, as it lies undiscovered for decades, burns, sinks, is bought and sold, and ultimately, becomes untouchable. Finally, Collins speculates on Shakespeare's cross-cultural future as more and more Folios migrate to Japanese buyers, who are entering their contents into the electronic ether.","brand":"Bloomsbury USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47133970530544,"sku":"9781608191383","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781608191383_p0.jpg?v=1763831222","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781608191383","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}