silverlotus's review
4.0
A very enjoyable book that is a cross between a travelogue and a history of the William Shakespeare First Folio. I don't think I will look at a collection of his plays in the same way again.
thesydda's review
2.0
This book felt really scattered. The transitions between topics were often abrupt and I had trouble making some of the same connections the author did.
paging_snidget's review
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Scattered with interesting information but I didn’t really gel with the writing style.
nairam1173's review
4.0
Delightful. Feels like it ends a little abruptly and sometimes meandered but overall very enjoyable.
cmbohn's review
5.0
Themes: bibliomania, literary criticism, book collecting and preservation, Shakespeare, English history
Setting: starting with early 1700s to present day, England, US, and Japan
All about Shakespeare and how he went from a playwright known in London to the biggest literary figure England ever produced. It reads a little like a biography, a little like English history, like a manual on book collecting and book preservation, like a travelogue, and a lot like a fangirl squee.
It starts with the decision of two of Shakespeare's friends and fellow actors who want to collect the author's works and publish them as they were actually performed. They split the plays more or less into scenes and fix a lot of errors that were included in the so-called Shakespeare editions that already existed. Then they decided to offer it as a folio, a bold decision as those were typically reserved for the classics and cost much more.
And from that beginning to the recent auction of a First Folio that went for 55 times its weight in gold, he traces the significance of the book, the creation of the Shakespeare mystique, and the huge cultural phenomenon that surrounds the author. Parts of this were funny, parts were completely unexpected, and all of it was entertaining reading. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a fangirl myself, but I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
Setting: starting with early 1700s to present day, England, US, and Japan
All about Shakespeare and how he went from a playwright known in London to the biggest literary figure England ever produced. It reads a little like a biography, a little like English history, like a manual on book collecting and book preservation, like a travelogue, and a lot like a fangirl squee.
It starts with the decision of two of Shakespeare's friends and fellow actors who want to collect the author's works and publish them as they were actually performed. They split the plays more or less into scenes and fix a lot of errors that were included in the so-called Shakespeare editions that already existed. Then they decided to offer it as a folio, a bold decision as those were typically reserved for the classics and cost much more.
And from that beginning to the recent auction of a First Folio that went for 55 times its weight in gold, he traces the significance of the book, the creation of the Shakespeare mystique, and the huge cultural phenomenon that surrounds the author. Parts of this were funny, parts were completely unexpected, and all of it was entertaining reading. Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a fangirl myself, but I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended.
wmhenrymorris's review
The subtitle misleads -- this book is less about the cultural influence of Shakespeare and more a book about the first folios and what became of them with a little thrown in of how they influence reception of Shakespeare. As a book about bibliophilia and Shakespeareana, though, it delights. Collins's prose is a delight and he uses his skills to frame and unveil various nuggets of miscellany both important and simply interesting. That the narrative ranges from the alleys of 17th and 18th century London to the modern-day temperature controlled vaults of libraries Washington D.C. and Tokyo illustrates how much what Shakespeare has become has to do with that first folio (even as it got off to rather a rocky start).
There is one aspect of The Book of William that could bug some readers: as a way of building tension and practicing the art of the reveal, Collins introduces people and information and then slides away from them and then brings them back in. I found it somewhat annoying, but less of a problem as the book progressed.
There is one aspect of The Book of William that could bug some readers: as a way of building tension and practicing the art of the reveal, Collins introduces people and information and then slides away from them and then brings them back in. I found it somewhat annoying, but less of a problem as the book progressed.
tesch18's review
nvm, can't get thru this. I feel like I would've liked it fine a few years ago when I wasn't as far into academia as I am now. i think that people who have a casual interest would like this just fine.
dnf after a few chapters
dnf after a few chapters
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
2.0
I'm proably going to be pillored by some for giving this book two stars, but it is a two star book.
Collins writes a history of Shakespeare's First Folio and how it gained popularlity as a collectible. If you like criticism of Shakespeare, this is a book you can skip. If you like history of Shakespeare, this is a book you should read.
Collins does an excellent job in describing the connection between the Folio and collectors in the first three sections of the book, the sections that take place in England. It is brillant. In fact, if you like Dr. Johnson, you should read it.
The problem is the last two sections that take place in the Folger's Library and in Japan. The first three sections have a wonderful sense of place. The last two sections don't. I've been to the Folger. Collins does not describe it will. The last two sections are pale successors to the first three.
Collins writes a history of Shakespeare's First Folio and how it gained popularlity as a collectible. If you like criticism of Shakespeare, this is a book you can skip. If you like history of Shakespeare, this is a book you should read.
Collins does an excellent job in describing the connection between the Folio and collectors in the first three sections of the book, the sections that take place in England. It is brillant. In fact, if you like Dr. Johnson, you should read it.
The problem is the last two sections that take place in the Folger's Library and in Japan. The first three sections have a wonderful sense of place. The last two sections don't. I've been to the Folger. Collins does not describe it will. The last two sections are pale successors to the first three.
vg2's review against another edition
4.0
This could have been an outstanding book on the history of Shakespeare’s first folio, the subsequent printings of his collected plays throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the collecting of them today. It is, indeed, fascinating, both in terms of the central subject itself, and the various literary players who weave in and out of the narrative, either as publisher, editor or patron. Paul Collins’ writing is both engaging and tight, bringing to life the wider context that enabled the collected works of Shakespeare to be situated right at the centre of literary history.
What lets it down, however, is the completely unnecessary inclusions of Paul Collins’ wanderings around London, that not only detract from the tale, but actually serve to paint Collins in a poor light - he comes across as snobbish (and although I assume (hope) he isn’t, slightly classist - council flats may not be the most picturesque part of London’s skyline, but they are vitally important and certainly not the unpleasant areas that Collins implies them to be...) and even a little rude. I like to imagine that his actual conversation with a taxi driver was curtailed in the book for some flamboyant literary reason; if he really did just announce his destination in the manner described, I can only imagine the look on the driver’s face...
Without those bizarre interludes, this would have been a 5 star read - the main body of work and writing style was engaging enough without the author having to insert himself in randomly, which ultimately irritated me enough to knock its rating down a little, whilst still acknowledging the book’s overall excellence.
What lets it down, however, is the completely unnecessary inclusions of Paul Collins’ wanderings around London, that not only detract from the tale, but actually serve to paint Collins in a poor light - he comes across as snobbish (and although I assume (hope) he isn’t, slightly classist - council flats may not be the most picturesque part of London’s skyline, but they are vitally important and certainly not the unpleasant areas that Collins implies them to be...) and even a little rude. I like to imagine that his actual conversation with a taxi driver was curtailed in the book for some flamboyant literary reason; if he really did just announce his destination in the manner described, I can only imagine the look on the driver’s face...
Without those bizarre interludes, this would have been a 5 star read - the main body of work and writing style was engaging enough without the author having to insert himself in randomly, which ultimately irritated me enough to knock its rating down a little, whilst still acknowledging the book’s overall excellence.
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