During the visit, Jim showcased an exceptionally rare Second Folio of Shakespeare’s works – a 'folio' being a large-format book made by folding sheets of paper once to create two leaves (or four pages), a format traditionally used for prestigious and important publications.

A Shakespeare Folio refers to one of the large, early collected editions of William Shakespeare’s plays, printed in folio format in the 17th century. These editions are among the most important books in English literary history. The First Folio (1623) gathered 36 of his plays together in one volume – many of which had never been printed before, meaning that without the folio, works like Macbeth, The Tempest, and Julius Caesar might have been lost.

The Second Folio (1632), which Mr McCue brought, is a later edition of this same collection. It largely reprints the First Folio but includes minor corrections and some changes in spelling and wording, which were excellently detailed by Mr McCue in his talk. While slightly less rare than the First Folio, it is still extremely valuable and historically significant.

Loquitur members, staff and parents were given a unique opportunity to engage with this remarkable artifact of literary history, gaining insight into early modern printing as well as the enduring significance of Shakespeare’s work, and the peculiar, touching story of how Mr McCue acquired it. We are very grateful to him for bringing this incredible artifact to the Oratory.