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Experts consider the First Folio, as such editions are known,
the most reliable text for 36 plays written by the man
considered by many to be the world's greatest playwright. They
include "Macbeth" and "As You Like It".
The edition found at Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute was
authenticated by Emma Smith, professor of Shakespeare Studies at
Oxford University.
"The collections managers were in touch to say they had a
Shakespeare First Folio and my first reaction was yeah, right,
sure you do. But on much closer inspection they turned out to be
right," Smith told the BBC in an interview.
The three leather-bound volumes, worth an estimated 2.5 million
pounds, bring the total of known surviving copies in the world
to 234.
"Without this (edition) we would have lost probably half of
Shakespeare's work," Smith said.
They were collated and first published in 1623, seven years
after Shakespeare's death, according to the British Library.
The details of the hands through which the folio passed are
documented in a letter from the book's 18th century editor,
Isaac Reed, accompanying the book, Smith said, helping the
authentication process.
The folio will be on display for the first time at Mount Stuart
from Thursday as part of an exhibition that will run until 30th
October.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death on
23rd April 1616.
(Reporting By Elisabeth O'Leary Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
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