Shakespeare-quarto Facsimiles

This is a facsimile edition of the second quarto of Shakespeare's "King Lear." It offers readers a chance to experience the play as it might have been encountered by audiences in the early 17th century. This edition is valuable for Shakespeare scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history of the printed book and the transmission of Shakespeare's texts.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.