Marginalia· 1630s
John Milton’s pen in the margins of a Shakespeare First Folio
By the Editors · As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer, 17 September 2019
FoundPhiladelphia, United States
Tucked inside Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio, 1623)
The Free Library of Philadelphia had owned its 1623 Shakespeare First Folio since 1944 without knowing who had annotated it. In 2019 Cambridge scholar Jason Scott-Warren read Penn State professor Claire Bourne’s study of the anonymous reader and recognized the hand as John Milton’s. The notes, probably made in the 1630s, correct misprints, compare readings and flag where lines stray from iambic pentameter across most of the plays. Specialists called it one of the most important literary discoveries in decades.
This is our summary of a find reported in the press. For the full story, photographs and any updates, read the original report in The Philadelphia Inquirer.