Shakespeare’s First Folio: from London to Australia, and many points in between

Join us for a special lecture from visiting University of Oxford academic Professor Emma Smith, the world's leading Shakespeare scholar. Professor Smith will be giving a talk on Shakespeare's First Folio as part of its 400 year anniversary.

Shakespeare’s First Folio is the world’s most important non-religious book. This illustrated lecture explores its significance, from the collaboration between the theatre and print worlds which brought it into being, to the readers, collectors and actors who have used it over the last four centuries. Lots of people have left their mark on this book in ways which tell us about its importance at different times and different places, including, since 1885, Australia.

Entry is free to this event but bookings are essential.

This event is presented in partnership with the Australian National University Centre for Early Modern Studies.

About Professor Emma Smith

Professor Emma Smith is a lecturer in English at the University of Oxford, Professor of Shakespeare Studies, and a Fellow of Hertford College.

Her work on Shakespeare's First Folio combined the history of the book with work on collecting, historical performance, the editorial tradition and Shakespeare's cultural and economic value over four centuries. She has published a number of essays on key Shakespearean themes that try to understand why and how we have come to think what we think about Shakespeare's plays. 

Professor Smith's book This Is Shakespeare was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into several other languages. She has written for a number of newspapers and journals in the US and the UK, and beyond.  Her most recent publication is Portable Magic, a book about the history of books. She also edits the journal Shakespeare Survey (Cambridge University Press). 

Professor Smith has also worked with theatre companies including at the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, participated in radio programmes including Radio 3's Sunday Feature and Radio 4's In Our Time and The Long View, and served as a consultant for TV and film. 

Image credit: Sophia Evans/ The Guardian