SANTA FE, NM.- New Mexico Museum of Art hosts the First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare national tour.

“New Mexico Museum of Art is excited to announce that Santa Fe and all of New Mexico can now plan to experience one of the very rare First Folios of the works of William Shakespeare,” said Mary Kershaw, Director. “The excitement of seeing such an iconic work is hard to describe. From Shakespeare aficionados to students studying these plays for the first time, this exhibit is a very special opportunity for people in New Mexico to see one of the most influential books in history.”

The First Folio opened to the most quoted line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “to be or not to be.” A multi-panel exhibition exploring Shakespeare’s impact, then and now, is accompanied by digital content and interactive activities.

The First Folio is the first complete collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623 seven years after his death. Compiled by two of Shakespeare’s fellow actors, it preserves 36 of Shakespeare’s plays. Without it, we would not have 18 of those plays, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and Antony and Cleopatra.

Thanks to the First Folio, generations have experienced Shakespeare’s lasting influence on language, culture, theater, music, education, and more. There are 233 known copies in the world today, with 82 copies held by the Folger Shakespeare Library. One of the most valuable printed books in the world, a First Folio sold for $6.2 million in 2001 at Christie’s and another one for $5.2 million in 2006 in London. It originally sold for one British pound (20 shillings) - about $200 today.

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare will tour all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, beginning in January 2016. “At the Folger Shakespeare Library, we’re looking forward to taking the books out of our vaults in 2016 and on the road,” said Michael Witmore, Director. “We’re excited to see the many different ways that communities across the country will be celebrating Shakespeare—in performances, poetry slams, lectures, and more.”