The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios

About this book

The first edition of Shakespeares collected works the First Folio published in 1623 is one of the most valuable books in the world and has historically proven to be an attractive target for thieves. Of the 160 First Folios listed in a census of 1902 14 were subsequently stolen-and only two of these were ever recovered. In his efforts to catalog all these precious First Folios renowned Shakespeare scholar Eric Rasmussen embarked on a riveting journey around the globe involving run-ins with heavily tattooed criminal street gangs in Tokyo bizarre visits with eccentric reclusive billionaires and intense battles of wills with secretive librarians. He explores the intrigue surrounding the Earl of Pembroke arguably Shakespeares boyfriend to whom the First Folio is dedicated and whose personal copy is still missing. He investigates the uncanny sequence of events in which a wealthy East Coast couple drowned in a boating accident and the next