Literary treasure draws thousands of visitors to Durham as exhibition is extended
People have more time to see the Shakespeare Folio in Durham as 'wonder' exhibition will remain open until April 2026. Tony Henderson reports
An exhibition based on the theft of a 400-year-old Shakespeare First Folio and its eventual return to the North East is to be extended following a hugely successful first six months.
The folio went on show in April this year in a display which tells the story of how it was stolen in 1998 from Durham University, damaged, taken to the United States for sale, recovered and returned in 2010, and finally restored.
The exhibition will now run until April 6, 2026. It has welcomed over 9,000 visitors and has involved more than 2,000 school pupils and families.
It has also been used for academic study and been part of major international visits and conferences at the university.
The Shakespeare Recovered exhibition has been recognised by the Institute of Conservation, which has awarded Durham University the Heritage Conservation in Action Prize 2025.
Durham’s copy of the First Folio was stolen while on display in the university’s Cosin’s Library, on Palace Green in Durham City.
It reappeared ten years later at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C., badly damaged and with its cover and some pages missing.
Shakespeare Recovered chronicles the analysis and conservation work to preserve the book after its return, and discussions about its future.
The First Folio, published in 1623, was the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays. Among the 36 plays included are 18, such as Antony and Cleopatra, Macbeth and The Tempest, that had not previously been published.
Without the First Folio, these works may well have been lost to history.
Durham’s First Folio was originally bought by Bishop John Cosin in the 1620s and added to his library in Durham in 1669.
While around 750 copies were originally printed, only 235 are known to have survived. Each is unique, which made confirmation of the identity of the stolen Durham copy possible.
Since its return, the university’s conservators have worked to preserve the historic value of the book and to find ways to make it safely accessible for future generations.
Stuart Hunt, director of university library and collections and university librarian, said: “We’re thrilled by the popularity and positive reception that Shakespeare Recovered has enjoyed over the last six months. It is exciting to be able to extend the exhibition and give more people the chance to come and see this iconic literary object.
“Part of this exhibition looks at the debate around what should happen next with the Durham First Folio, in particular whether it should be rebound. It has been wonderful to see visitors engaging with this debate and sharing their views on the future of the Folio.”
Tickets for Shakespeare Recovered are free, but advance booking is strongly recommended due to the limited capacity of the library space. Tickets can be booked online and are being released on a rolling seven-week basis.
The man who travelled to the United States to have the folio authenticated, Raymond Scott from Washington, Tyne and Wear, raised the suspicions of experts.
They notified the FBI and Durham Police, and Scott was arrested and jailed for eight years.
Stuart Hunt said: “Shakespeare’s First Folio is a literary wonder of the world, but only Durham’s First Folio can tell such a unique and powerful story. Having been at the centre of an international theft and recovery, Durham’s First Folio is truly exceptional.”