About 2,300 people have visited William Shakespeare’s First Folio inside of the State Library, Archives and Museum building.
Librarian Freya Anderson said that’s just people who have been inside the room to see the nearly 400-year-old book of the bard’s plays; it doesn’t include those who attended the lectures or more than 30 play readings hosted by Theatre in the Rough.
“And it’s really cool because it’s been a mixture, too. You have people who are just passionate about Shakespeare, and they come and spend a long time in the room,” Anderson said.
The First Folio brought the world a printed copy of some of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, like Macbeth. The copy in the library is one of six that belong to the Folger Shakespeare Library traveling around the country and some territories. It’s been 400 years since the playwright’s death.
Anderson is a proud Shakespeare geek, and said that the visit inspired her to re-read all of the Shakespeare’s plays. She’s currently on The Tempest.
“Personally just the chance to be in the same room with it and share the love of Shakespeare, the love of history with people who care coming in, has just been a blast,” she said.
The First Folio’s public viewing in Juneau ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Correction: An earlier version of this story overstated the number of First Folio copies the Folger Shakespeare Library is touring and why the library is touring them. The library has six copies, not eight, and it’s for Shakespeare’s 400-year death anniversary, not his birthday.
