First Folio Day: Shakespeare Celebrations Announced

First Folio Day: the Bard at the Bod is a special free celebration of the life and work of William Shakespeare at the Bodleian's Weston Library in Oxford on March 4 marking the 400th anniversary of the publication of his First Folio.

Talks, activities, discussions and performances include:

* "You must case me in leather”: the Bodleian’s First Folio as a material book with Andrew Honey, Book Conservator on the binding and paper quality of the Bodleian’s First Folio.

* “Shreds and Patches”: the conservation – or not – of the Bodleian’s First Folio with Nicole Gilroy, Head of Book Conservation, and leader of the Sprint for Shakespeare Conservation team in 2012

* What is the First Folio and why should I care? with Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies, who also looks at how things would be different if we did not have the First Folio.

There will also be a Living Library with a selection of Shakespeare and book production experts, plus monologues performed by members of Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) and a display of contemporary maps relevant to Shakespeare's life and works. Creative activities include a quill-writing workshop, the opportunity to handprint a page of Shakespeare's plays.
 
Additionally, running from February 25 until May 14, the Thou Art Translated display curated by Professor Emma Smith will look at how Shakespeare has been translated into more than 100 other languages such as Bengali, Tagalog, Swahili, and Klingon.

Find full details of all events and timings here.