Rare first edition of Shakespeare’s plays acquired by UBC now on display at Vancouver Art Gallery

The College of British Columbia has introduced a very valuable e-book to its library, and also you can wager scholars won’t be writing notes in the margins of this one.

the school has received a whole first variation of William Shakespeare’s Comedies Histories and Tragedies — an extraordinary selection of 36 of the famous Bard’s known 38 plays. Additionally known as the first Folio, the guide used to be published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s loss of life and is edited through his close friends and fellow writers and actors.

Katherine Kalsbeek, head of rare books and unique collections at UBC Library, felt that, with so few copies left in non-public hands, the library needed to act while the chance to acquire one came up in 2021.

“The Primary Folio is a cornerstone of English literature and with this donation, we’re in a position to deliver this cultural treasure into public ownership,” Kalsbeek stated in a statement.

From Jan. 12 to March 22, 2022, literary fanatics can see this treasure for themselves on display on the Vancouver Artwork Gallery.

The work is being proven in conjunction with 3 next seventeenth-century Folio editions of Shakespeare’s plays, as part of a new showcase called For All Time – The Shakespeare FIRST FOLIO.

WATCH | Be Told extra about the first Folio got by way of UBC:

Purchased through Christie’s auction area

according to a statement from the college, best 235 copies of the first Folio stay around the global, most commonly within the U.K. and U.S. The 9 copies in public collections at the West Coast are all in California. 

“this is truly a gift, not only to UBC, but in addition to town of Vancouver and to the numerous folks within the area who delight in Shakespeare,” stated Kalsbeek. 

UBC purchased the first Folio, until now owned by way of a private collector in the U.S., via Christie’s Ny with investment provided through a consortium of donors from throughout North America and with the generous make stronger of the dept of Canadian Background.

in line with the school, the associated fee tag for its newly-acquired copy cannot be shared as a part of the purchase settlement with Christie’s.

An October 2020 statement from Christie’s presentations the auction space offered a special reproduction of the first Folio at that time for just shy of $10 million US.