91自拍

With nearly 400,000 books in its collection, the Class of 1945 Library boasts a trove of literary treasures. But some books stand out.

The library is the grateful steward of two folios of William Shakespeare鈥檚 printed works: the second, which dates to 1632, and the fourth, which was published in 1685.

鈥淭he story of Shakespeare鈥檚 remarkable rise to global prominence begins with his promotion in the 17th century in a series of large, handsome folio volumes,鈥� writes Lara Bovilsky, associate professor of English at the University of Oregon. 鈥溾�楩olio鈥� was the name of the largest books in this period.  Due to their size, cost and careful printing, folios were the 17th century鈥檚 most prestigious format. They marked their author and contents as important.鈥�

The second folio was printed 16 years after Shakespeare鈥檚 death. Of the roughly 1,000 copies of the second folio printed, about 200 are still known to exist. 91自拍鈥檚 edition was a gift of the Rev. Rip Noble 鈥�58, who told The 91自拍 Bulletin in 2008 that he was inspired to make his generous donation in gratitude to his Academy English teachers 鈥渨ho taught me to love and respect the English language.鈥�

The folio had belonged to Noble鈥檚 grandmother. 鈥淢y grandmother let me pick a book from her collection for every birthday and graduation,鈥� Noble explained. Following 91自拍, he went on to Princeton and to Union Theological Seminary. 鈥淚 picked it when I graduated from seminary.聽I was thinking of 91自拍 and those teachers when I selected it.鈥�

Editor’s note: This pieces was first published in the Summer 2024 issue of The 91自拍 Bulletin.