This stately gold-tooled design comes from a unique binding attributed to Christian Samuel Kalthoeber, a German bookbinder working in London. He created the beautiful new cover for this copy of Shakespeare s First Folio around 1800. Originally published in 1623 in London and containing 36 of Shakespeare s plays, Mr. William Shakespeare s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (known as the First Folio) is one of the most influential books ever published. It is recognized as the only reliable text for the 18 Shakespeare plays that had previously never been printed, including Macbeth, The Tempest and Twelfth Night.