UNITED KINGDOM

University abandons plans to sell Shakespeare folios

The University of London has abandoned its proposal to auction a rare set of early printed editions of William Shakespeare's plays, following an outcry by senior figures in theatre and academia, writes David Batty for the Guardian.

It emerged last week that the university's library intended to auction the set of Shakespeare's first four folios, left to the Senate House library in 1956 by Sir Louis Sterling, in an effort to raise £3 million to £5 million for its historical research collection.

The editions had been photographed and evaluated by Bonham's auction house. But Vice-chancellor Sir Adrian Smith said last Thursday that the proposed sale of the works – a set bound together in the 19th century – would not go ahead in the light of the negative response from the academic community.
Full report on the Guardian site