The Histories (King Henry IV. Part 1 / King Henry IV. Part 2 / King Henry V / King Henry VI. Part 1 / King Henry VI. Part 2 / King Henry VI. Part 3 / King Henry VIII / King John / King Richard II / King Richard III)

This 1863 edition represents a significant moment in the Victorian era's relationship with the Shakespearean canon. Published as a reprint of the First Folio by Lionel Booth, it was crafted to provide Victorian readers with a high-fidelity typographic reproduction of the 1623 original. During the mid-19th century, there was a fervent academic and antiquarian interest in returning to the primary source materials of Elizabethan literature, moving away from the heavily edited and modernized versions that had proliferated throughout the 18th century.

The design of Booth's reprint was celebrated for its dedication to bibliographic integrity, attempting to mimic the scale and presentation of the original seventeenth-century printing. By preserving the archaic spellings, capitalization, and page layouts of the 1623 edition, Booth provided a foundational resource for scholars and collectors alike. It was met with considerable respect from the critical community of the time, serving as a vital bridge for audiences who lacked direct access to the increasingly rare and expensive original Folios.