The 1623 first folio of a collection of works by William Shakespeare

bbc

Man bailed over Shakespeare theft

The first folio was one of several items stolen in 1998

A man has been bailed by police after being detained over the theft of the "most important book in the English language" that was stolen 10 years ago.

The 1623 first folio (wide-paged book) of a collection of works by William Shakespeare could be worth £15m.

It was one of a number of literary works taken from Durham university in December 1998.

Police said the suspect, aged 51, allegedly asked a library in the US to value the work.

The unnamed man was bailed after being questioned at Durham City police station.

A Durham Police spokesman said a man, claiming to be an international businessman who had acquired the volume in Cuba, showed it to staff at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC and asked them to verify it was genuine.

He agreed to leave it with librarians, whose research revealed it to have been stolen.

It was one of the first collected editions of Shakespeare's plays printed. Only between 200 and 300 copies are thought to have survived around the world.

This book is a national treasure giving a rare and beautiful snapshot of Britain's incredible literary heritage Durham University chancellor Bill Bryson

A spokesman for Durham University said staff were "rejoicing" following the recovery of the book, described by experts as "the most important book in the English language" at the time of its theft.

The man was arrested on Thursday at an address in Wigeon Close, Washington, Tyne and Wear, after the British Embassy in the US alerted Durham Police to the find two weeks ago.

The stolen items were part of an exhibit of 50 examples of English literature dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century.

Other items taken in the university raid included a handwritten manuscript of an English translation of the New Testament from the 14th Century.

Also stolen was a book by 10th Century scholar Aelfric, written in 1566, a first edition of Beowulf from 1815 and a handwritten manuscript from the early 15th Century containing a fragment of a poem by Canterbury Tales author Geoffrey Chaucer.

The Durham Police spokesman said officers were working with the FBI in the United States.

Security reviewed

Bill Bryson, chancellor of Durham University and author of an acclaimed book on Shakespeare, said: "This is not only wonderful news for Durham University but for all Shakespeare's scholars and fans around the world, of which I am most definitely one.

"Like Shakespeare himself, this book is a national treasure giving a rare and beautiful snapshot of Britain's incredible literary heritage."

The Shakespeare first folio was acquired by John Cosin, former Bishop of Durham, and was part of the library he established in Durham in 1669.

University vice-chancellor, Prof Chris Higgins, added: "Our security has been very significantly reviewed and enhanced to the highest standards since the theft 10 years ago and we are confident the first folio will be safe when it arrives back in Durham."

【聯合報╱編譯林沿瑜╱美聯社倫敦12日電】2008/07/12

原本收藏在英國德倫大學圖書館的一本1623年「第一對開本」（First Folio）莎士比亞劇作集，失竊10年後終於尋獲。德倫大學表示，此書若保存完好，價值高達1500萬英鎊（台幣9億元）。

德倫大學圖書館1998年12月舉辦展覽，「第一對開本」與同一展示櫃裡另6部古籍與手稿同時失竊。10年來警方束手無策，苦無線索。一直到上個月16 日，一名自稱是國際貿易商的男子拿了「第一對開本」到美國華盛頓特區的「福爾傑莎士比亞圖書館」鑑定真偽，此書才再度與世人見面。

這名男子表示，「第一對開本」是他在古巴時購得。

當「福爾傑莎士比亞圖書館」確定此書為真後，立即通知聯邦調查局，美國警方隨後透過國際管道展開緝捕行動，10日當天英國警方在達勒姆附近的華盛頓鎮逮到捕51歲男性嫌犯，並搜索了他的住處。

福爾傑莎士比亞圖書館的外務處處長史考特（Garland Scott）說，失而復得的「第一對開本」大體上保存完整，但封底和前幾頁已經被拆下了。

德倫大學校長布萊森（Bill Bryson）表示，「就像莎士比亞本人一般，這本書是國家的寶藏，它讓世人得以一窺令人驚嘆的英國文學遺產」。布萊森本人著有關於莎翁的專書。學界認為，「第一對開本」是以英文印行的最重要書籍之一。

「第一對開本」在莎士比亞死後七年出版，是第一本莎翁的劇作集，當時共印行約750本，但僅1/3流傳至今，而且多不完整，現在據說只有40本「完整版」存在，多為博物館或官方所收藏。

這本「第一對開本」暫時存放在福爾傑莎士比亞圖書館一個有溫濕度控制的保險庫裡，正在安排送回德倫大學圖書館。