Original Shakespeare 4th Folio Leaf Featuring pg 125-6 Love's Labour's Lost

Description

Offered here is an original leaf from the Fourth Folio of William Shakespeare, published in 1685, one of the most important monuments in English literature. This genuine 17th-century printed page comes from Shakespeare's comedy Love's Labour's Lost and contains pages 125–126 of the play as printed in the Fourth Folio edition.

The leaf has been professionally matted and housed in a custom cloth-covered presentation case, making it an exceptional display piece for collectors of rare books, literary history, and early printing.

Printed more than 340 years ago during the reign of King James II, this leaf represents a tangible connection to the world of Restoration England and the enduring legacy of Shakespeare's works.

About This Leaf

• Original leaf from the Fourth Folio (1685)
• Work: Love's Labour's Lost
• Pages: 125–126
• Double-column folio format
• Original hand-press printing
• Features period typography including the long "s" (ſ)
• Professionally matted and housed in custom presentation case
• Visible age toning consistent with 17th-century paper

This leaf contains dialogue from the latter portion of Love's Labour's Lost, including scenes involving the Princess, Berowne, Rosaline, Katherine, Maria, and the King of Navarre as the play moves toward its celebrated conclusion.

On Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the most influential authors in world history.

Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, Shakespeare wrote approximately 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and numerous poems. His works have been translated into virtually every major language and continue to be performed more than those of any other playwright.

His plays explore timeless themes of:

• Love
• Ambition
• Power
• Jealousy
• Identity
• Redemption
• Human nature

The folio editions were instrumental in preserving Shakespeare's plays. Without them, many of his most famous works, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest, might have been lost forever.

The Fourth Folio

The Fourth Folio was published in 1685 and is the final of the great seventeenth-century Shakespeare folios:

1. First Folio – 1623
2. Second Folio – 1632
3. Third Folio – 1663/1664
4. Fourth Folio – 1685

The Fourth Folio was printed more than sixty years after Shakespeare's death and helped ensure that his works remained available to readers during a period of immense political and cultural change in England.

While more common than the celebrated First Folio, the Fourth Folio remains an authentic and highly desirable artefact from the earliest era of Shakespeare publishing.

England in 1685

When this leaf was printed, England stood at a pivotal moment in history.

The year 1685 saw the accession of James II to the English throne. The country was emerging from decades of upheaval that had included:

• The English Civil War
• The execution of King Charles I
• The Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell
• The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660

London itself was still rebuilding after the devastating:

• Great Plague of London
• Great Fire of London

The scientific revolution was transforming European thought, with figures such as Isaac Newton reshaping humanity's understanding of the universe.

This leaf was printed only two years before the Glorious Revolution, one of the defining events in British constitutional history.

Owning a folio leaf means holding a document that survived through centuries of monarchy, revolution, industrialization, and modern history.

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