The Queen's College Record 2023

Reports and College Activities
Credit: John Cairsns
A YEAR IN THE LIBRARY
Dr Matthew Shaw
College Librarian
The anniversary of one of the world’s most famous books
has provided a thread through much of the Library’s year.
In 1623 the printers Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount
released Mr William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, &
Tragedies, seven years after the playwright’s death. Often
now referred to as the ‘First Folio’ – a reference to the large
size of its paper – it helped to consolidate Shakespeare’s
reputation and included 18 of his previously unpublished
plays, including The Tempest and Macbeth. It is possible
that without the Folio, these would have been lost to us.
The College benefits from possessing one of the 235 surviving Folios (along with
further editions published in 1632, 1664 and 1685), and as such in 2023 joined in
the celebrations of the 400 th anniversary of its publication with a range of activities.
Our English Renaissance Literature students were able to examine (with great care)
the Folio in the Library, with the assistance of the College Librarian and Career
Development Fellow in English Dr Jennifer Edwards; and the outgoing Artistic
Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Greg Doran, came to look at it as part
of his earth-girdling attempt to visit every surviving Folio. On Sunday 21 April, we
welcomed over 250 visitors to the Magrath Room, where the Folio was on display
in a wooden case, especially constructed by the College’s joiner, Paul Farnes, to
mark what is traditionally considered to be Shakespeare’s birthday and declared in
this anniversary year ‘Folio Day’, in which as many Folios as possible were on public
display. Later in Trinity Term, the Folio made the unusual journey to Stationers’ Hall
in the City of London for a memorable Old Members event, where it was displayed
next to the Company’s register that recorded its publication in 1623. The Folio also
attended a fascinating translation symposium in the Shulman Auditorium, in which
junior members worked through various ‘back translations’ (that is, translating back
into the original language from an existing translation). A display on works identified
by scholars as source material, ‘Shakespeare’s Books’ opened in the Upper Library
during the Easter Vacation and runs through Michaelmas Term.
The library has also shared something of the richness of the College’s textual treasures
through other exhibitions. ‘Edmund Halley In Print’ celebrated the 350 th anniversary of
the astronomer’s matriculation at Queen’s, and included the rare – and rarely seen –
star map of the southern skies, which Halley produced after leaving the College before
completing a degree. Newly conserved, fewer than 30 copies survive. Bringing some
cheer into the overcast days of Hilary Term, a lavishly bound New Testament in Greek
that was once presented to Queen Elizabeth I was displayed in the New Library. Even in
a gloomy February, light levels meant that this velvet-bound text could only be displayed
for one week, which did make the display something of an occasion. The case then
40 The Queen’s College | College Record 2023