A rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio has been discovered on a Scottish island.
The manuscript, published only seven years after the playwright's death, was discovered in the library of Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute.
 Shakespeare's First Folio was published seven years after his death |
The find is of huge importance. Only 233 copies of the folio were known beforehand, the last of which was discovered in France two years ago.
The present example is believed to have been acquired by the Third Marquis of Bute, an eccentric figure who introduced kangaroos on to the island in the 1870s.
The first record of it in the library is from 1896.
Emma Smith, head of Shakespeare studies at Oxford University, told the BBC: "I'm sure there are a few more out there.
"I don't think they're in people's lofts, even though it would be lovely and romantic.
"I think they're in libraries which have been neglected or forgotten, I suspect more will be in mainland Europe."
A copy of each of Shakespeare's four folios will be offered at Christie's London on May 25. The First Folio is valued at £800,000-1.2m ($1.1m-1.7m).
The record is £3.7m ($6.6m), set at Christie's in 2001.
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