William Shakespeare’s First Folio published in 1623 gifted to UBC Library

Arts & Humanities - Michelle Blackwell The University of British Columbia has acquired a first edition of William Shakespeare's Comedies Histories and Tragedies -an extremely rare book published seven years after Shakespeare's death and credited with preserving almost half of his plays. The First Folio, as it's also known, includes 36 of Shakespeare's 38 known plays, edited by his close friends, fellow writers and actors. The 1623 publication is considered the most authoritative of all early printings. UBC purchased the First Folio, formerly owned by a private collector in the U.S., through Christie's New York with funding provided by a consortium of donors from across North America and with the generous support of the Department of Canadian Heritage. "In comparison to many of our peer institutions, we are a relatively young university library," said University Librarian Dr. Susan E. Parker. "We are deeply grateful to the many foundations and individual donors who have been essential in making an acquisition like this possible for a place like UBC Library and we are honoured to be its caretakers." The opportunity to purchase a First Folio arose in early 2021. Katherine Kalsbeek, head of rare books and special collections (RBSC) at UBC Library, knew that with so few copies left in private hands the library had to act.