The First Folio as the book is commonly referred to, is a collection of 36 of Shakespeare's plays that was published by his friends and fellow actors, John Heminge and Henry Condell, shortly after his death in 1623. The massive tome included 18 plays---including Macbeth, The Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar---that hadn't been printed before and would likely have been lost otherwise. The historic collection was purchased by Stephan Loewentheil, following a six-minute telephone bidding war with two other unnamed bidders. Loewentheil, a noted book dealer and antiquarian, is the owner of The 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop in Brooklyn, New York.
