Libraries & Librarians

UBC Library Digitizes William Shakespeare’s Second Folio

October 8, 2025

While William Shakespeare’s First Folio was much celebrated when it arrived at UBC in 2021, did you know that UBC Library also has a Second Folio of Shakespeare’s works? The Second Folio, digitized by UBC Library’s Digitization Centre, is now publicly accessible through Open Collections.

Published in 1632, the Second Folio is the second edition of Shakespeare’s collected works and an important artifact for both scholars and enthusiasts alike. Among the fascinating features of this particular volume is the signature of one of its previous owners, John Burns, P.C., M.P., a noted book collector and politician. Burns’ ownership is proudly inscribed on the front flyleaf. After Burns’ death, the Second Folio was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 1944, then eventually made its way to UBC Library in 1960 when it was donated by Walter C. Koerner, a great supporter of the both UBC and the library.

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Heavily used by literature, history, and book history classes, the Second Folio eventually required extensive conservation treatment. Over time, the back board detached, which made the text block more vulnerable to damage. Knowing the book required extensive repair, the library submitted a conservation treatment request to the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), a Special Operating Agency within the Department of Canadian Heritage.

“We were delighted when project was selected,” recalls [Chelsea] Shriver, [Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian at UBC Library].

Once at CCI, the Second Folio underwent a major rebinding effort and now is ready for its next act. At UBC Library’s Digitization Centre, each page of the Second Folio was digitized in a process that includes capturing and processing images, and making them available online.

“The book was digitized in the same way as the First Folio, on an Atiz book scanner by our library assistants who did—as usual—excellent work,” says Robert Stibravy, Digital Projects Librarian at UBC Library.