Complete copy of Shakespeare's First Folios sells for $9.9 million

Our second Shakespeare update of the week: an extremely rare complete first-edition copy of his First Folio was just sold.

Stephan Loewentheil, president and founder of the 19th-Century Rare Book & Photography Shop, picked up the 1623 item for $9.9 million (including fees) on Wednesday from Christie’s in New York.

Mills College in Oakland, California, had owned the book previously but decided to sell because of its budget crisis.

According to Literary Hub’s research, there may be more than two hundred copies of the First Folio in circulation, but only five complete ones are known to exist.

For more price-related statistics, you can read the Christie’s news release on the First Folio sale. 

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