First Collection of Shakespeare’s Plays Sells for Almost $10 Million

An employee of Christie's auctions holds a 1663 rare first folio of 36 Shakespeare works that was sold for a record 8.4 million dollars (9.978 million with buyers fee) in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., Oct. 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

A rare 1623 book that brought together William Shakespeare’s plays for the first time sold for a record US$9.97 million at auction on Oct. 14, Christie’s in New York said.

The First Folio containing 36 of Shakespeare’s plays, one of only six known complete copies in private hands, was bought by American private collector Stephan Loewentheil, founder of the 19th Century Rare Book and Photograph Shop on the U.S. east coast.