The Bard and the Book, Ann Bausum
The Bard and the Book, Ann Bausum
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The Bard and the Book
How the First Folio Saved the Plays of William Shakespeare from Oblivion

Author: Ann Bausum

Narrator: Sean Patrick Hopkins, Ann Bausum

Unabridged: 1 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/02/2024


Synopsis

The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible.

Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters’ lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as in, an actor’s role) and passed around, but no master script was saved for the future. The main reason we’ve heard of Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, and Shakespeare himself is that a group of people made the excellent choice to preserve the plays after the Bard died. If they hadn’t created the book known as the First Folio, Shakespeare and his works would surely have been lost to history.  

Part literary scavenger hunt (the search for every existing First Folio continues today), part book trivia treasure trove, and part love letter to Shakespeare, this behind-the-scenes, sharply funny true story is an ideal introduction to the Bard and his famous plays.

Author Bio

Ann Bausum is the daughter of a history professor and grew up in Lexington,
Virginia, with a love of American history and a passion for research. She writes books about US history for young
people and adults, and many of her books deal with issues of social justice.
Her books consistently earn prominent national recognition. Denied,
Detained, Deported (2009) was named the 2010 Carter G. Woodson Book Award
winner at the secondary school level from the National Council for the Social
Studies. Muckrakers (2007) earned the Golden Kite Award as best
nonfiction book of the year from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators. Freedom Riders (2006) gained a Sibert Honor designation
from the American Library Association, and With Courage and Cloth (2004)
received the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award as the year’s best book on
social justice issues for older readers. She lives in Beloit, Wisconsin.

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