SHAKESPEARE, William (1564-1616). Comedies, Histories and Tragedies. Published according to the true Originall Copies. The second Impression. Edited by John Heminge (d. 1630) and Henry Condell (d. 1627). London: Printed by Thomas Cotes, for Robert Allot, "at the signe of the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard," 1632.

Shakespeare's Second Folio, containing John Milton's first appearance in print, first issue. Shakespeare’s collected works are considered the most important and influential in the English language, described by Samuel Johnson as “the mirrour of life” and by his contemporary Ben Jonson as “not of an age but for all time.” The urge to read, rather than just see, Shakespeare’s plays surfaced in his own lifetime, with about half of his works appearing as single quarto editions. The First Folio, collecting Shakespeare’s plays for the first time and dividing them into the thematic categories of Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies was issued in 1623; this Second Folio, appearing nine years later, is a page-for-page reprint of the First Folio. While errors were introduced during the course of reprinting, “the text of the present edition shows signs of careful, if unauthoritative, revision” (Greg).

John Milton’s epitaph to Shakespeare in 16 verses, beginning “What neede my Shakespeare for his honour'd bones” appears under an 8-line verse “Upon the Effigies” on leaf A5r. The Effigies leaf is in the first state, bearing watermark Heawood 1420 and with Todd's 1b issue points. In this copy, its conjugate leaf, the title-page, is fragmentary and with the portrait supplied from a copy of the Fourth Folio. It is in Todd's setting 1b (first issue but supplied to this copy). Greg III:1113; Pforzheimer 906; STC 22274a; W.B. Todd, "The Issues and States of the Second Folio and Milton's Epitaph," in: Studies in Bibliography V (1952-53), pp 81-108.

Median folio (330 x 221mm). 454 leaves ["To the Reader" and title apparently supplied]. Roman and italic types. Double column, 66 lines, headlines and catchwords, pages box-ruled, woodcut head- and tailpieces and initials, engraved portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout in third state but supplied from a copy of the Fourth Folio ("To the Reader" leaf extended at lower margin with repairs to top edge, title page text trimmed close in two pieces and mounted to new paper with rubrication added to match and the portrait supplied from a copy of the Fourth Folio, bifolium vv2.5 cut down to two text panels and window-mounted, small mostly marginal repairs throughout, worse on p. 95 and colophon, occasional soiling, a few small holes and spots). 19th-century russet morocco gilt by J. Clarke, marbled endpapers (rebacked preserving original spine). Custom morocco box. Provenance: marginal corrections and comments throughout, longer passage erased on p. 45 – Francis B. Hayes, 1819-1884, railroad executive (sold his sale, Bangs, 26-29 April 1898, lot 1409).