FIRST FOLIO SHAKESPEARE

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 356, 13 September 1933, Page 5

FIRST FOLIO SHAKESPEARE

Keen Battle at Sotheby’s

The late Earl of Rosebery's copy of the “First Folio of Shakespeare’ produced one of the keenest buttles for a book ever seen in the auction room.

In one minute of excited bidding a' Sotheby’s it was bought by Dr. Rosenbach, of Philadelphia, for the record price of £14,500. Dr. Rosenbach was not present, but did his bidding by cable, and the battle ended in a duel between bin and Mr. Gabriel Wells, of New York, who carried the price up to £14,200. It is understood that when the late Lord Rosebery bought the book privately 12 or 15 years ago he pain £7OOO for it. The original published price of the “First Folio” in 1G23 was about £!■ There was a burst of applause when the £14,500 record was reached. There are about ISO copies of th “First Folio” in existence, and at least half of them have already gone tc title United States. One American collector, Mr. Folger, posses nearly 40 copies.

The highest price over paid for r book in the auction room was £15,100 for the only known copy of the 159.4 edition of Shakespeare’s “Venus tint! Adonis” at Sotheby’s in 1910.