James Orchard Halliwell was a Shakespearean scholar and antiquary, well-known (or notorious) for his marriage to the daughter of Sir Thomas Philipps, the bibliomaniac, whose surname he added to his own in 1872. His early publications included several on nursery rhymes and children’s stories, as well as volumes on particular manuscripts. He wrote several biographical works on Shakespeare, including his Life of William Shakespeare, published in 1848 (RCIN 1058935). This work, Illustrations of the life of Shakespeare, includes the earliest documentary record of Shakespeare’s name as an actor from 1594. This copy was presented to the Royal Library by Halliwell in November 1876.