“The Four Shakespeare Folios, 1623–2023: Copy, Print, Paper, Type” Book Launch Photo Gallery

Sam Lemley holding a copy of “The Four Shakespeare Folios, 1623–2023: Copy, Print, Paper, Type”

by Sarah Bender, Communications Coordinator

Multiple contributors to “The Four Shakespeare Folios, 1623–2023: Copy, Print, Paper, Type” shared their expertise at an event to celebrate the book’s launch on May 30 at the Posner Center. The evening was a culmination of the year-long celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio.

The book was edited by Curator of Special Collections Sam Lemley, who shared some of his research with attendees. The event also featured Christopher Warren, professor of English with a courtesy appointment in History at CMU, Claire M. L. Bourne, associate professor of English at The Pennsylvania State University, and Zachary Lesser, the Edward W. Kane Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. A Q&A following the presentations was moderated by Stephen Wittek, associate professor of English and director of literary and cultural studies at CMU.

Attendees also had a chance to view the copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio held in CMU Special Collections, as well as copies of the Second, Third, and Fourth Folio.

Copies of the book can be purchased from Penn State University Press or locally from White Whale Bookstore. For more Shakespeare anniversary content, you can view 360 Virtual Tours of the Libraries’ exhibitions “Inventing Shakespeare: Text, Technology, and the Four Folios” and “From Stage to Page: 400 Years of Shakespeare in Print."

Zachary Lesser, the Edward W. Kane Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Stephen Wittek, associate professor of English and director of literary and cultural studies at CMU, Claire M. L. Bourne, associate professor of English at The Pennsylvania State University, Sam Lemley, curator of Special Collections, and Christopher Warren, professor of English with a courtesy appointment in History at CMU, pose with the copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio held in the Charles J. Rosenbloom Collection.
Zachary Lesser, the Edward W. Kane Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Stephen Wittek, associate professor of English and director of literary and cultural studies at CMU, Claire M. L. Bourne, associate professor of English at The Pennsylvania State University, Sam Lemley, curator of Special Collections, and Christopher Warren, professor of English with a courtesy appointment in History at CMU, pose with the copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio held in the Charles J. Rosenbloom Collection.
Bourne discusses the typography of a folio.
Bourne discusses the typography of a folio.

Lesser points out differences between the two versions of the Third Folio, the first issue printed in 1663 and the second in 1664.
Lesser points out differences between the two versions of the Third Folio, the first issue printed in 1663 and the second in 1664.
Warren explains how the Print & Probability project used machine learning focused on distinctive and damaged pieces of type to identify the printers of Shakespeare’s Fourth Folio.
Warren explains how the Print & Probability project used machine learning focused on distinctive and damaged pieces of type to identify the printers of Shakespeare’s Fourth Folio.

Attendees had an opportunity to pose questions about the Shakespeare Folios to the speakers.
Attendees had an opportunity to pose questions about the Shakespeare Folios to the speakers.
Panelists weigh in on audience questions.
Panelists weigh in on audience questions.

Attendees view the First Folio.
Attendees view the First Folio.
Derek Ham, the newly-named director of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), connects with Digitization Projects Manager and Data Deposit Coordinator Ann Marie Mesco, Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections Julia Corrin, Helen and Henry, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries Keith Webster, and Wittek.
Derek Ham, the newly-named director of the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), connects with Digitization Projects Manager and Data Deposit Coordinator Ann Marie Mesco, Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections Julia Corrin, Helen and Henry, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries Keith Webster, and Wittek.

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