Six Shakespeare’s First Folios get rare public display

STORY: Six highly rare first edition collections

of William Shakespeare's plays

are going on display in London

The exhibition marks 400 years since the

publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

(Margaret Ford, Christie's)

“It's a non-selling exhibition. It's open and free to the public and it's the only time that the public can see six copies of the First Folio together, exhibited. Six copies may not sound like a lot to the average person, but in fact, to put it in context, to put it in context, the last time that even four copies were exhibited was 100 years ago for the 300th anniversary, when the British Library exhibited four of their copies. So now, 100 years later, we are able to bring together six different copies for this exhibition.”

The editions were published seven

years after Shakespeare's death

They contain 36 of the 37 plays he wrote

(Margaret Ford, Christie's)

“If we didn't have the publication of the First Folio, it is very likely that half of Shakespeare's entire output, so 18 plays would not exist. And these include plays such as 'Macbeth', 'Julius Caesar' and 'All's Well That Ends Well'. It's just amazing to think that there would be a world in which these plays don't exist and all their famous lines.”

The exhibition runs in Christie's

London showroom from May 2 to May 26