LONDON: The City of London Corporation will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first printed edition of English playwright and great poet William Shakespeare’s plays by displaying one of the earliest printed copies in Guildhall Library.
According to the Telegraph, the book, First Folio, will be showcased for a limited time and only for five hours on April 24, with a ten-minute talk every hour of the day.
Experts consider the First Folio, as it is commonly known today, the most influential book ever written in English. Published in 1623, about seven years after William Shakespeare’s death, the book saved half of his plays from being lost and also included his famous works like Twelfth Night, Macbeth and As You Like It.
Guildhall Library, owned by The City of London Corporation, is half a mile from Jaggard’s Print House, where the First Folio was printed. It’s across the street from St Mary Aldermanbury Garden, where William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow actors, Henry Condell and John Heminge are buried and commemorated with the memorial to the book, featuring a bust of Shakespeare.
According to the principal librarian at the library, Dr Peter, The City of London Corporation owns the pristine copies of the First Folio out of the 230 that still exist. It is among the 90 that are still complete. He said that without Heminge and Condell’s collection, half of Shakespeare’s work would’ve been lost.
The chair of The City of London Corporation’s Culture, Wendy Hyde, Heritage, and Libraries Committee, explained her pride in the library’s book ownership. Wendy called the First Folio the genuinely remarkable book that has been conserved as a valuable heritage asset for the advantage of future generations.
Visitors to the library can view two small and genuine copies of Othello and Henry IV Part One, along with a replica copy of the First Folio.
Just the limited five-hour display of the First Folio is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the most influential books ever written in the English language.
The opportunity is a must-see for William Shakespeare enthusiasts. Different visitors to the Guildhall Library will learn about the history of William Shakespeare’s collection of plays and the chance to view some of his famous works, preserved for the advantage of future generations.
