Did you hear the one about the stolen First Folio? It all begins, for us, back in 2008:
https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2008/07/folioed-again.html
In short, a man shows up at the Folger Library holding a First Folio and says, paraphrased, “I found this, is it worth anything?” Being the quick thinkers that they are, the Folger people say, “Have a seat,” take the book gingerly to the back room, and confirm that it is in fact a volume that had been stolen some years before. Our man is promptly arrested.
https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2010/03/if-you-steal-first-folio-be.html/
A few years later, the case goes to court, and it turns out the guy’s nuts.
Mr Scott appeared at Newcastle Crown Court wearing green combat army fatigues held up by a Gucci belt, and a pair of black Dior sunglasses, presumably a tribute to Che Guevara, a hero of Cuba.
https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2010/06/hehehewrecked-it-burn-hi.html
Things took a turn when we discovered that, in an effort to “disguise” the stolen artifact, he wrecked it. Tore out pages, defaced others, and so on. All for nothing, other than to ruin a piece of history. I suggested we send him to jail and move on.
https://www.shakespearegeek.com/2010/08/eight-years-for-destroying-history.html
He got eight years. I wasn’t happy about it.
Unfortunately, and I do mean it when I say that, Mr. Scott killed himself. I may have been furious that he stole and defaced a priceless piece of history, but that doesn’t mean I thought he should die for it.
This brings us to our final (?) installment:
https://www.perspectivemedia.com/shakespeare-first-folio-back-on-show-27-years-after-it-was-stolen/
27 years later, the Folio is back on display at Durham University as part of an exhibition called “Shakespeare Recovered.” I hope this is a deliberate pun because I believe that Scott tore the cover off the original. The article has a number of pictures and all the details, so if some of those ancient blog links I included above no longer work, this one has all the information.
Let’s hope our treasure remains safely in its home for a long, long time.