Started by a Perth runaway in 1766, auctioneers Christie’s now has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 major salerooms around the world.
By 1766, the book in today’s illustration was already over 140 years old.
William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. Published According to the True Originall Copies, is better known, of course, as Shakespeare’s First Folio.
It was printed in 1623 by Isaac Jaggard on the Fleet Street site I think now occupied by DC Thomson of Dundee, publishers of this paper.
Naturally, Christie’s is delighted to be handling a copy of the famous First Folio, which ranks as the greatest work of the English language.
Already celebrated on its first publication in 1623 by Shakespeare’s friends and fellow actors, it has remained a highly sought-after masterpiece over four centuries. Only six complete copies are known in private hands.
The folio contains 36 of Shakespeare’s plays, including 18 that may have otherwise been lost. Among rescued works were Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar.
The book’s large size also helped elevate the cultural standing of Shakespeare and drama generally, as it assumed an imposing folio format typically reserved at the time for bibles and books on theology and law.
The first time in nearly 20 years that a complete copy has come to auction, the First Folio was due to be sold in New York on April 24 with a pre-sale estimate of $4 to $6 million – taking it close to the current auction record for a Shakespeare First Folio of $6,166,000, set by Christie’s in 2001.
Christie’s US rooms are currently closed, and the sale has been advanced to mid-June at the earliest.
Picture: Shakespeare’s First Folio (Christie’s).
