New US$1,200 collection of Shakespeare’s plays marks 400th anniversary of the First Folio
- Published in 1623, the First Folio was the original collection of Shakespeare’s plays, with one surviving copy selling for nearly US$10 million in 2020
- Two new collectors’ editions of Shakespeare’s plays mark the folio’s 400th anniversary, with one limited-edition, three-volume box set selling for over US$1,200
On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio – a collection of the Bard’s plays published under the title Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies – rare originals of the book are being displayed around the world, while publishers are offering new collectors’ editions of his plays, including one that sells for over US$1,000.
Scholars believe that 200 to 300 copies still survive from the 1623 release.
Presided over by two friends and former colleagues of Shakespeare, who had died in 1616, the folio ensured that lasting texts existed for Macbeth, Twelfth Night and other cornerstones of Western literature. In Shakespeare’s lifetime, many of his works were unpublished or available only in cheap paperback editions.
First Folios have been on exhibit everywhere from the British Museum to the New York Public Library, while at least two major book projects will mark the anniversary.
The British Library is collaborating with the Rizzoli Bookstore in New York on Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Facsimile Edition, which is contained within a slipcase cover. With a list price of US$135, the book is 928 pages and includes an introductory booklet co-written by Adrian Edwards, head curator of the British Library’s Printed Heritage Collections.