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, travelled 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, 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.