Rare and valuable copies of Shakespeare’s second, third and fourth folios return to Lambeth Archives

Rare and valuable copies of Shakespeare’s second, third and fourth folios have returned to Lambeth Archives after nearly 75 years in the British Library.

Cllr Donatus Anyanwu, Lambeth’s cabinet member for stronger communities, signed the documents to confirm the safe return of the books. He said:

“Recovering these remarkable treasures is a wonderful way to celebrate the re-opening of our archives in the heart of Lambeth.

“These precious books reflect Lambeth’s commitment to creativity and our belief in valuing the past as a pathway to building the future.

“Our gratitude again goes to the British Library for keeping these historic Lambeth documents safe since 1950.

I also thank the Archives team, including our volunteers who discovered them.”

Philip Norman, a volunteer researcher at Lambeth Archives, found evidence that the folios were still in Lambeth’s possession.

“I was researching something completely different in the Lambeth papers from 1900 onwards and came across a story in the South London Press of 1 December 1950 in which the Mayor of Lambeth was handing over Shakespeare folios to the British Library.

I crosschecked the Council records for the date and it clearly said “Lambeth to retain ownership” of the books.

“After many emails, Lambeth Archives went to the British Library in person. They asked: “Do you want to lend them?”.

I said, “No, you borrowed them from us, we’d love to have them back to celebrate the Lambeth Archives moving from Minet Library to Brixton Hill.”

“The British Library checked their own records, which also proved that our Shakespeares were simply on long-term loan – there is no record of any sale or transfer of ownership.”

Shakespeare in Lambeth

The three folios will be the centerpiece of Lambeth Archive’s ‘Shakespeare in Lambeth’ exhibition, which opens in September as part of the Lambeth Heritage Festival, tracing four centuries of when, where and how works were made in the borough.

More information

The First Collection of Shakespeare, printed in 1623—seven years after Shakespeare’s death—was the first collection of all of Shakespeare’s plays. The second, third and fourth were published over a period of 65 years. The third folio is very rare and valuable because so few copies survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.

(This article first appeared on Love Lambeth and is reproduced here for informational purposes)

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