William Shakespeare's "First Folio" is published, on November 8, 1623. The first recorded retail purchase took place on December 5, 1623. The volume contained 36 plays, 18 of which had never been previously printed and might have been lost otherwise, including Macbeth, The Tempest, and Julius Caesar.
It was compiled seven years after Shakespeare's death in 1616 by his fellow actors and friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell. It is believed that approximately 750 copies were originally printed. There are today, 235 known copies survive, with the largest collection (82 copies) held at the Folger Shakespeare
