LECTURE

New York Public Library
William Shakespeare - From Stratford-on-Avon to the New York Public Library

Several of us were given the opportunity to actually hold and turn the pages of an old, authentic folio of Shakespeare works and engravings.  Quite an experience when its role in Western Civilization is considered.

"Discover the world of William Shakespeare at the NYPL on his celebrated birthday. Ponder textual problems in the quartos and folios.  Explore illustrated editions of the plays and poems.  Experience Shakespearean research through 21st century databases.  After the lecture, twenty members of the audience (drawn by lot) are invited to view the Shakespearean holdings, including the First Folio, in the Library's Berg Collection of English and American Literature.

Robert Armitage is the Humanities Bibliographer at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYPL.  His popular lectures on the Library’s collections include Elusive Jane [Austen], Out of the Blacking Factory [Dickens], Subversive Shaw, and others."