A rare complete set of William Shakespeare’s First, Second, Third, and Fourth Folios is heading to auction next month, with an expected sale price of up to £4.5 million (US$6 million). Sotheby’s announced the May 23 sale on what would have been the Bard’s 461st birthday, marking the first time since 1989 such a collection will be sold together in a single lot.
The First Folio, published in 1623, was compiled posthumously by Shakespeare’s fellow actors John Heminges and Henry Condell. It contained 36 plays, including 18 that had never appeared in print, such as Macbeth, The Tempest, and Twelfth Night. Its historical and literary value has led scholars to consider it the most significant publication in English literature.
Only about 230 of the original 750 First Folios are known to survive, with most housed in institutions. A copy sold for $9.9 million in 2020, underscoring its immense value. The later editions followed in 1632, 1663, and 1685. While the First Folio remains the most esteemed, the Third Folio is the rarest due to losses in the 1666 Great Fire of London.
The Third Folio also included seven new plays, though only Pericles, Prince of Tyre is widely accepted as Shakespeare’s work.
Source: Swifteradio.com
