Man finds ultra rare Shakespeare First Folio from the 1600s

A medieval literature expert made a startling discovery in a French library: He found a rare Shakespeare First Folio from 1623.

Rémy Cordonnier didn't realize at first that the tattered book he picked up in the library at Saint-Omer, in the north of France, was a First Folio, one of 230 thought to still be in existence. It had been identified in the catalog as a book of Shakespeare's plays from the 18th century, and was damaged, The Guardian reports. Cordonnier sent it to an authority on Shakespeare, who delivered the big news: This was a First Folio.

The rarity will be a "treasure among many treasures" at the library, and has an additional layer of history, Cordonnier says. "One of the most interesting things about the book is that the Henry VI play has clearly been performed, because there are notes and directions on the pages that we believe date from around the time the book was produced."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up