Vancouver 
The University of British Columbia recently acquired the first edition of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies– popularly known as the First Folio.
Credit: Andreas Praefcke/Wikimedia Commons
This rare 1623 publication contains 36 of Bard’s 38 known plays and is considered the most authoritative of all early printings of his works.
There are only 235 copies of the First Folio remaining around the world including one in Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto.
UBC, with the funding help of the Department of Canadian Heritage and other supports from across North America, purchased the book through Christie’s in New York from the hands of an American private collector.
“The First Folio is a cornerstone of English literature and with this donation, we are able to bring this cultural treasure into public ownership,” said Katherine Kalsbeek, head of rare books and special collections (RBSC) at UBC Library. “Adding a First Folio to the UBC Library collection represents a milestone in terms of our development as both a library and as a university.”
If you are interested in seeing this rare book, it will be exhibited at Vancouver Art Gallery from Jan. 12 to March 22 along with three subsequent 17th-century Folio editions of Shakespeare’s plays.
The exhibition called, For All Time – The Shakespeare FIRST FOLIO, will be accompanied by an audio mobile guide featuring the voice of Christopher Gaze, founding artistic director of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, in addition to a series of public programs, including talks, performances and more.
