Rare Shakespeare First Folio, one of the most sought-after books in the world that was recently discovered, authenticated as genuine
A copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, one of the most sought-after books in the world, was last month discovered in a stately home on a Scottish island. On April 7, Emma Smith, professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, traveled to Mount Stuart on the Isle of Butea and authenticated the First Folio as genuine. The discovery comes on the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death.
The First Folio is the name given to the collection of William Shakespeare’s 36 plays published in 1623
The First Folio is the name given to the collection of William Shakespeare’s 36 plays published in 1623. The First Folio, printed seven years after Shakespeare’s death, brought together 36 plays – 18 of which would otherwise not have been recorded. Without this publication, there would be no copy of plays such as Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, As You Like It and The Tempest.
Academics who authenticated the book called it a rare and significant find. Authenticating a copy involves a series of technical checks on, among other things, the watermarked paper and printing process.
Prof Smith, author of Shakespeare’s First Folio: Four Centuries of an Iconic Book, says it is uncertain how many copies were produced – although some put the figure at about 750.
About 230 copies are known still to exist. The last copy found was two years ago, in what had been a Jesuit library in St Omer in France. A copy owned by Oxford University sold for £3.5m in 2003.
Earlier in the week, Queen Elizabeth II marked her 90th birthday — an event celebrated across England and the rest of the UK. Today, on April 23, Verbalists are at Trafalgar Square, enjoying the Feast of St George 2016 and celebrating St. George’s Day – which is the closest thing England has to a national day. The day commemorates the death of England’s patron saint, a legendary dragon slayer who wasn’t actually from England. Настави са читањем “Verbalists language network students enjoying the Feast of St George”
Today 23rd April is widely regarded as William Shakespeare’s birthday. Shakespeare is one of the most well known and influential playwrights of our time, yet little is known about his childhood. Discover how Shakespeare became the bard the world knows today:
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Though little is known about William Shakespeare’s personal life, his works such as “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “King Lear,” have influenced literature and theater for over 400 years.
Most of us will have quoted the playwright thousands of times without knowing it. Ever been “in a pickle” or had “too much of a good thing”? Perhaps friends have “eaten (you) out of house and home” or had you “in stitches” over a joke. These are just a handful of well-used sayings that come courtesy of Shakespeare (see more below).
Words and phrases coined by Shakespeare
– “For goodness sake” – Henry VIII
– “Neither here not there” – Othello
– “Mum’s the word” – Henry VI, Part II
– “Eaten out of house and home” – Henry IV, Part II
– “Rant” – Hamlet
– “Knock knock! Who’s there?” – Macbeth
– “All’s well that ends well” – All’s Well That Ends Well
– “With bated breath” – The Merchant of Venice
– “A wild goose chase” – Romeo and Juliet
– “Assassination” – Macbeth
– “Too much of a good thing” – As You Like It
– “A heart of gold” – Henry V
– “Such stuff as dreams are made on” – The Tempest
– “Fashionable” – Troilus and Cressida
– “What the dickens” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
– “Puking” – As You Like It
– “Lie low” – Much Ado About Nothing
– “Dead as a doornail” – Henry VI, Part II
– “Not slept one wink” – Cymbeline
– “Foregone conclusion” – Othello
– “The world’s mine oyster” – The Merry Wives of Windsor
