In this first episode of season 2 of Annotated, the story of how Shakespeare was saved for posterity by two of his friends and a cagey publisher.

This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio. Visit TryAudiobooks.com/bookriot for great listening recommendations.

To enter this season’s giveaway of 10 great books about books from 2017, visit bookriot.com/annotated2.

For further reading, we suggested Emma Smith’s The Making of the First Folio.