The University of 91吃瓜 will host an exhibition of William Shakespeare鈥檚 First Folio next January.
One of the world鈥檚 rarest and most treasured books, the First Folio is the first collected edition of Shakespeare鈥檚 plays. It will be displayed in the at 91吃瓜 Jan. 4-29 during a nationwide traveling exhibition titled 鈥淔irst Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare,鈥� sponsored by the in partnership with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association and hosted by .
The exhibition, announced by the Folger Shakespeare Library on Thursday (April 23), Shakespeare鈥檚 451st birthday, is one of numerous events planned worldwide for 2016, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare鈥檚 death.
鈥淲e are honored to partner with the Hesburgh Library鈥檚 and the Folger Shakespeare Library in serving as the sole Indiana venue for the First Folio exhibition,鈥� said , executive director of Shakespeare at 91吃瓜. 鈥淥ur mission is to directly engage our audiences with the works of Shakespeare both on the page and on the stage. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host the First Folio in a venue as iconic as 91吃瓜鈥檚 Hesburgh Library will provide the wider Michiana community with an entirely new way to experience one of the world鈥檚 greatest dramatists.鈥�
When it was published in 1623, the First Folio could be purchased for 20 shillings, roughly $200 today. Since then it has become one of the most valuable printed books in the world. A First Folio sold for $6.2 million in 2001 at Christie鈥檚 and another one for $5.2 million in 2006 in London.
In the 91吃瓜 exhibition of the First Folio, the book鈥檚 pages will be opened to the most familiar of all Shakespearean lines: 鈥淭o be or not to be,鈥� from Hamlet鈥檚 soliloquy. The exhibition will include digital and interactive features on Shakespeare鈥檚 life, times and work, and several public events presented by Shakespeare at 91吃瓜.
Contact: Aaron Nichols, Audience Development Manager, Shakespeare at 91吃瓜, 574-631-3777, aanichols@nd.edu