Shakespeare’s Beehive - Rare Book Dealers George Koppelman and Daniel Wechsler claim to have found Shakespeare's dictionary

“George Koppelman and Daniel Wechsler have been waiting for this day for six years”, Sunday Steinkirchner wrote in an article on the ABAA Good Read Blog. It was the day – April 21st, 2014 – on which they told the world that they are in possession of a book they claim was owned by William Shakespeare. The story behind the spectacular discovery started six years ago.

“Koppelman and Wechsler purchased a copy of Baret’s Alvearie, or Quadruple Dictionarie (1580), on eBay in 2008. While other books have more famously earned the designation of Shakespeare source texts, works by Florio and Holinshed’s Chronicles of England (1587) among them, Baret’s Alvearie has been somewhat overlooked. While they initially believed their dictionary to be important and valuable because of the Elizabethan-era annotations it contained, Koppelman and Wechsler soon found themselves making the case for Shakespeare himself as its owner and annotator.

Knowing their find would be met with both excitement and skepticism at once, Koppelman and Wechsler spent the last six years researching the life and times of Shakespeare, studying his canon, and connecting with Shakespeare scholars. Through their devoted study, they have unearthed evidence through careful analysis of the paleography and “personal markers” of the annotator, such as stylized “W” and “S” letters, and biblical “IHS” monograms penned next to entries for yew tree. The majority of their case for Shakespeare’s dictionary lies in their analysis of the annotations themselves, a dense network of interrelated references that show shocking parallels to the unique and inventive language of Shakespeare” (Steinkirchner).

George Koppelman and Daniel Wechsler, both ABAA members and ILAB affiliates, have now published a study about their extensive researches: In Shakespeare’s Beehive: An Annotated Elizabethan Dictionary Comes to Light, they conclude that the annotations in their copy of Baret’s Alvearie purchased on eBay belong to William Shakespeare. Using example after example, the authors demonstrate how closely the annotations and Baret’s text are tied to Shakespeare’s own work. The annotator, while not once leaving his name on a page, nevertheless leaves behind an astonishing personal trail of fingerprints.

Last week, the amazing story of the unbelievable discovery hit the news.

A press review:

Shakespeare’s Beehive: An Annotated Elizabethan Dictionary Comes to Light

>>> Shakespeare’s Beehive (official website)

The Folger Library

>>> Buzz or honey? Shakespeare’s Beehive raises questions (Michael Witmore and Heather Wolfe)

The New Yorker

>>> The Poet’s Hand

The Times

>>> NY book dealers claim to have Shakespeare’s dictionary (Oliver Moody)

Sydney Morning Herald

>>> Booksellers claim to have found Shakespeare's annotated dictionary (Mark Tewfik)

Sydney Morning Herald

>>> Will Shakespeare's dictionary prove to be, or not to be, authentic - that is the question (Mark Tewfik)

The Age

>>> Booksellers claim to have found Shakespeare's annotated dictionary (Mark Tewfik)

The Atlantic

>>> Booksellers: We Got Shakespeare's Personal Dictionary on eBay (Robinson Meyer)

ActuaLitté

>>> Deux libraires auraient découvert le dictionnaire de Shakespeare

Die Welt

>>> Ein Lexikon mit Anmerkungen von Shakespeare

Forbes

>>> Holy Shakespeare! A Rare Find Shakes An Industry (Sunday Steinkirchner)

Forbes

>>> On Shakespeare's 450th Birthday, A Mysterious Book Sparks Shakespearean Intrigue (Nathan Raab)

The Guardian

>>> Shakespeare's dictionary is a possibility that makes me look up

ABAA.org

>>> Waiting for the Coming of Shakespeare (Sunday Steinkirchner)

ABAA.org

>>> More Buzz on Shakespeare’s Beehive

The Bibiophagist

>>> On Shakespeare’s Annotated Dictionary, links and news

Endless Bookshelf

>>> If Not His, Whose ? (Henry Wessels)

Daily Mail

>>> Was Shakespeare’s dictionary discovered on eBay? New York booksellers claim they have dictionary Bard used to write works – But experts think handwriting is wrong

The Chronicle of Higher Education

>>> Shakespeare’s Dictionary? Skepticism Abounds (Jennifer Howard)

WNYC News

>>> Though This Be Madness, Could This Dictionary Be Shakespeare's? (Gisela Regatao)

Book Patrol

>>> Shakespeare Takes Center Stage in the Rare Book World (Michael Lieberman)