Collecting Shakespeare

Stephen H. Grant, EdD, is author of Peter Strickland: New London Shipmaster, Boston Merchant, First Consul to Senegal. In addition to being a biographer, he is a deltiologist, having produced three books on collecting vintage picture postcards in Guinea in West Africa, Indonesia in Southeast Asia, and El Salvador in Central America. He currently blogs on The Collation at the Folger Shakespeare Library and on his website, www.StephenHGrant.com.

Prologue Acknowledgments 1. Well Read in Poetry, Fair in Knowledge: Henry and Emily Form a Team 2. Thou Lovest Me, My Name Is Will: Smitten by Shakespeare 3. Wise, Circumspect, and Trusted: Five Decades at Standard Oil 4. Leading on to Fortune: Henry Invests to Buy the Bard 5. The Hunt Is Up, the Fields Are Fragrant: Building a Collection 6. Whole Volumes in Folio: The Ultimate Prize for Collectors 7. What News on the Rialto: Maneuvers in the Rare Book Market 8. Hotspur and Hal: Two Henrys Compete 9. A Monument to Gentle Verse: Designing a Treasure House 10. Dear, Blessed Plot of Land: The Folgers' Gift to America Epilogue: Praise in the Eyes of Posterity: The Folger after the Folgers Appendix: Directors of the Folger Shakespeare Library Notes Bibliography Index

Grant provides not just a biography of the 'onlie begetters' of this astonishing library, but also an account of the worlds in which the Folgers lived. The result is a superlative book . . . Crisply written and packed with facts and anecdotes. -Michael Dirda, Washington Post This thoroughly researched and accessibly written book is first of all a fascinating biography of how a man and his wife devoted their lives to gathering the world's largest collection of the original folios of William Shakespeare, plus a range of literature from as early as 1500. It is also a meditation on why some museums endure and thrive, while others lapse into confusion and decay. -James Srodes, Washington Times This first biography of Emily Jordan Folger and Henry C. Folger. . . taps hitherto neglected resources to trace their joint obsession with collecting Shakespeare. -Choice Grant's text is indeed well-researched and written, in a snappish and easily-readable style, even though there are many details. -Jeffery Moser, Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature While Collecting Shakespeare is biography intertwined with technicalities of antiquarian book and artifact collecting, it undoubtedly belongs on the Shakespeare lover's bookshelf. -Felicia Hardison Londre, Theatre Journal Stephen H. Grant tells the story of the Folgers' joint obsession clearly and efficiently; the illustrations he reproduces are particularly engaging. . . Shakespeareans, book collectors and all who have worked at the Library and who love and admire it will enjoy Collecting Shakespeare. -H.R. Woudhuysen, Times Literary Supplement An engrossing read . . . Grant has written an illuminating book that artfully places Henry and Emily Folger in their own time while showing how they helped to shape the scholarship of ours. -Renaissance Quarterly Stephen H. Grant uses primary sources from within the Folger Library vault, interviews with the Folger family, and visits to nearly three dozen archives to craft a compelling narrative. . . This biography could be read as a perfect case study of how a cultural institution in 20th century America was conceived, created, and accomplished. It will delight students of Washington's early 20th century history and readers who are seeking background on the impact of the Folger Shakespeare Library. -Washington History . . . A good read. . . -Chronique d'Egypte