![]() ![]() ![]() One Friday morning, as they were approaching a deadline to raise a certain amount of money, they heard about a federal grant that might help. So as soon as we had an opportunity for another copy, UBC was absolutely top of the list.” “And it was just very nice, to be perfectly frank. She said that voicemail to her colleague after the initial auction was a little out of the norm. “We just thought if anybody kind of deserves it then the University of British Columbia does, because of Katherine and Greg’s energy, ambition and vision for what they were going to do with the First Folio,” said Margaret Ford, international head of books and manuscripts for Christie’s, during a conversation this week from the U.K. “What would you say if we could find you another copy in a private sale?” They said yes, please.Ĭhristie’s offered to help with fundraising. “She said we were so impressed by your determination, your chutzpah, your hard work,” recalls Dr. Geiger, who is head of the Books and Manuscripts Department at Christie’s, New York. Kalsbeek called one of her contacts at Christie’s, Christina Geiger, and left a voicemail expressing how sad she was that things didn’t work out.Ībout six weeks later, UBC heard back from Ms. Phoebe Chan/UBC Library CommunicationsĪfter the sale, Ms. The sale was officially completed in August. Indeed, the copy sold in October, 2020, for nearly US$10-million, a record it was bought by a private collector. But after a few months, UBC, knowing it would be impossible to compete at auction, did not bid. They made inquiries with Christie’s, the auction house facilitating the sale, and did some exploratory fundraising. Still, the university began some preliminary work to investigate buying the book, which was being sold by a California college. ![]() ![]() A bit of a wild-goose chase, if you will. Not because they didn’t think that what they were doing was worthwhile, but because if felt too impossibly lofty a goal for UBC. Kalsbeek thought it would be a great coup others were more skeptical. Mackie was attending an antiquarian book fair in California when he heard about a First Folio that was coming to market it was the first time in nearly 20 years that such a book would be available for sale. The genesis of the historic acquisition came shortly before the pandemic erupted in North America. The UBC professor wanted to offer that kind of access to students in Vancouver and Western Canada. Mackie can vividly recall the impact seeing the First Folio in person had on him as a PhD student at U of T. Prior to this copy arriving in Vancouver, there was only one in Canada, at the University of Toronto. It’s believed about 750 copies were originally printed an estimated 235 copies are known to remain. “This is an original from 1623, one of the most valuable books in the world,” says the artistic director of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, Christopher Gaze, who provided some assistance in the effort. Published seven years after the Bard’s death and edited by his close friends and colleagues, the collection of 36 works is credited with preserving some titles that had not been previously published and may otherwise have been lost, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, The Tempest and Twelfth Night. The First Folio, Shakespeare’s first printed collection, is a compendium of nearly all his plays. “This was a once-in-eternity proposition being given to a public university by the most prestigious auction house in the world,” says her partner in this venture, Gregory Mackie, associate professor in the department of English language and literatures at UBC, and Norman Colbeck curator at RBSC. “It really did take a village to bring this book to B.C.,” says Katherine Kalsbeek, head of rare books and special collections (RBSC) at UBC Library, one of the main players in this drama. The purchase of the nearly 400-year-old book follows a relentless side-of-their desks campaign by two determined UBC bibliophiles, a recognition of their dedication by a prestigious auction house, a substantial government grant, a network of deep-pocketed anonymous donors from across North America, a willing seller – also anonymous – and a concerted international effort connected by Zoom calls during a pandemic. Log In Create Free AccountĪn exceedingly rare and valuable complete first edition of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies – known as the First Folio – has been acquired by the University of British Columbia. ![]()
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