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Primary sourceBook1592; published 1593

Venus and Adonis

William Shakespeare · 1592; published 1593

Shakespeare's first published work, a narrative poem retelling the story of Venus and Adonis, printed in 1593 with a dedication to the Earl of Southampton.

This was Shakespeare's first publication, carrying his own dedication and marking his debut as a printed poet.

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Title page of the 1593 quarto of Venus and Adonis. Ornate woodcut border at top, title in large capitals, Latin epigraph, a central printer's device with a shield, and the imprint: London, Imprinted by Richard Field, sold at the sign of the white Greyhound in Paules Church-yard, 1593.
William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis, first quarto, printed by Richard Field, London, 1593.

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Venus and Adonis is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare, published in 1593 and likely his first printed work. It tells of the goddess Venus's unrequited love for the beautiful but reluctant hunter Adonis, drawing on the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses. It was printed by Richard Field, a fellow native of Stratford, and opens with a dedication to Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, calling the poem

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Title page of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays. Large text reads 'Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies' and 'Published according to the True Originall Copies.' Below is an engraved portrait of a balding man with a moustache and a large white collar. At the bottom: 'London, Printed by Isaac Jaggard, and Ed. Blount. 1623.'Book

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