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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

William Shakespeare's Four Folios on Sale

Apr 27–30, 2023
43 Dover Street London W1S 4FF United Kingdom

Since the 1970s, the shop Peter Harrington has been one of Europe’s most esteemed sources for rare books. The two London stores—a flagship in Chelsea and a smaller, quainter space in the West End—have shelves lined with gems: a first edition, pre-publication copy of Winston Churchill’s memoir, for instance; a first edition of W. B. Yeats’s The Hour-Glass, inscribed by the poet. Some exceedingly rare treasures are now on sale. Shakespeare’s four folios! And a first-edition collection of his 17th-century poems! This marks the first time in the last 100-plus years that a bookstore rather than an auction house will sell the folios. If you happen to have 10.5 million pounds lying around, you might consider spending it here. —Jensen Davis