This exhibition celebrates the 400th anniversary of the “First Folio” of 1623, the essential compilation of William Shakespeare’s plays. Such a literary milestone marks not an end, but a beginning. It invites us not only to look more closely at the Shakespearean originals but also to see beyond them. Thus, our exhibition of extraordinary books and manuscripts, spanning four centuries of English literature, spotlights diverse ways in which playwrights, poets, novelists, illustrators, publishers, and readers from the English speaking world – beginning with Shakespeare and culminating with Toni Morrison – are drawn into conversation in the company of good books.
This exhibition featured material drawn from the collections of Princeton University Library, and ran in the Milberg Gallery from September 6 - December 10, 2023.
Exhibition Curators: Jennifer Garcon, Librarian for Modern and Contemporary Special Collections, Eric White, Scheide Librarian and Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, & Gabriel Swift, Librarian for Early American Books.
Exhibition Design: Pure+Applied (New York, NY).
Website Design: Megan Bardis, Firestone Special Collections Fellow & Emma Sarconi, Reference and Outreach Specialist.