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4mo ago

Rare Complete Set of Shakespeare’s Folios to Be Auctioned in London

Sotheby’s will offer the First through Fourth Folios as a single lot on May 23, with an estimated value of £3.5 to £4.5 million.

This photo issued by Sotheby's on Wednesday April 23, 2025, shows The First Folio of William Shakespeare, which contains 36 of Shakespeare's plays, and is "the most significant publication in the history of English literature". It is one of four folios which are due to go on sale at Sotheby's in London on May 23, where they are expected to fetch between £3.5 million and £4.5 million. (Sotheby's via AP)
A First Folio edition of William Shakespeares' plays (1623), considered one of the most important books in English literature

Overview

  • This marks the first auction of a complete set of Shakespeare’s four folios since 1989, scheduled to take place at Sotheby’s in London.
  • The First Folio, published in 1623, is considered one of the most significant works in English literature, preserving 18 plays that might otherwise have been lost.
  • The Third Folio is the rarest of the set, with only 182 known surviving copies, partly due to losses in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
  • The folios were originally compiled by Shakespeare’s close friends, John Heminges and Henry Condell, who sought to preserve his legacy after his death in 1616.
  • The set being auctioned was reunited in 2016, and most existing copies of the folios are held by institutions, making private ownership exceedingly rare.