It is one of the six known copies of the first collection of all 36 Shakespearean plays.
A rare collection of plays by the English writer William Shakespeare from 1623, sold on Wednesday for a record 9.97 million dollars, the New York auction house Christie announced.
It is one of the six known copies of the first collection of all 36 Shakespeare's plays, and before the sale, the value was estimated at between 4 and 6 million dollars, Reuters reports.
The identity of the new owner is unknown.
The previous record amount set aside for that collection, in 2001, was $ 6.2 million.
The collection "Comedies, Histories and Tragedies" was compiled by friends of the English writer seven years after his death. It also includes 18 plays that had not been published before, so they could have been lost.
The book was put up for auction by a private Mills College in Auckland, California.
William Shakespeare was born in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, at the same time as Michelangelo died in Rome. He was the oldest of eight children in his family. He was baptized on April 26, 1564, so he is considered to have been born on April 23. His father was a respectable and wealthy citizen, merchant and member of the Municipal Council.
The fact that in 1596 he and his descendants used the family coat of arms depicting a falcon and a spear and having the French inscription: "Non sanz droict" (Not without rights) speaks of his good property status. Shakespeare attended school in his hometown. Until his 18th birthday, there is no written information about him.
It is only since 1582 that there is a document that speaks of his marriage to Anne Hathaway, who was even eight years older than him. He had three children, two daughters and a son. He died on April 23, 1616 in his hometown, where he was buried.
One of the world's most famous writers has managed to remain quite mysterious to this day. There are numerous theories about the "true identity" of the bard from Stratford-upon-Avon, and there are those that such theories and possible evidence cannot shake in the belief that William Shakespeare really wrote all his plays and that he is one of the most brilliant writers of all time.
Here are some interesting facts from the biography of William Shakespeare:
1. William Shakespeare led a double life. While he was an actor in London and then became famous as a playwright, in his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon, where his family lived, which he often visited, he was better known as a respected businessman and real estate owner.
2. It is believed that Shakespeare's parents were illiterate and it is almost certain that his children remained illiterate.
3. There are only two authentic portraits of Shakespeare.
4. Two of Shakespeare's works have been translated into the Klingon language, which was created in the television series "Star Trek". Hamlet and Much toils can be read about in this strange language… Of course, if you have learned to read Klingon.
5. In the King James Bible, the 46th word in Psalm 46 is "shake" and the 46th word from the end of the same psalm is "speare". It is assumed that this translation of the Bible hides a birthday card sent to Shakespeare, because the translation was printed just when Shakespeare turned 46 years old.
6. In Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed to play in the theater and female roles were played by disguised men. This also means that in the play "How glad you are", the actor (young man) had to play Rosalinda, a woman who pretends to be a man, pretending to be a woman.
7. It is not clear to anyone what Shakespeare did between 1585 and 1592.
8. During his life, Shakespeare wrote 37 pieces and 154 sonnets. He was good friends with Queen Elizabeth, and some claim that it was she who wrote some of his plays.
9. US President Abraham Lincoln was a big fan of Shakespeare and often recited parts of plays to his friends. His killer, John Wilkes Booth, was a famous Shakespearean actor.
10. Shakespeare died in 1616, he was buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford-upon-Avon, and on his grave, at his request, it was written: "Cursed be he who moves my bones." Although it was customary to throw out old bones and make room for others, this curse has preserved Shakespeare's tomb from harassment to this day.
Write in the comments about the interesting things of this great artist
when you don't know what to do with the money, so you buy those antiques and pack them on the shelves where they are simply forgotten by everyone ... money thrown away. It would be better if you don't already know what you are going to do, buy and give gifts to a school and thus be useful to yourself and society.